TerraDimension Neptunia: Gray Advent
by Twilightiger1602
Summary: After accepting a job offer he absolutely couldn't refuse, Haruto Kiiryu soon realizes that he is getting a lot more than he bargained for. How shall he fair in this tale of drama, love, adventure and you're standard Neptunia antics? Guess we'll find out. Rated M for Dark Themes, Graphic Violence, Nudity, H-Scenes... and Trash-Talking.
1. Prologue Part 1

**TerraDimension Neptunia: Gray Advent/ Prologue- Part 1**

 **?**

"Haa... Haa... Haa... Haa... Haa..."

Within a large, square room made up almost entirely of blue, digital blocks, stood three figures; two teenaged girls who look to be sisters on one side looking none the worse for wear, and one young adult man in the other looking incredibly exhausted, the room filled with nothing but the sound of his breathing.

The man in question crouched on one knee, clenching a cybernetic gray scythe with neon blue details in his right hand in a reverse grip as he stared down his opponents. Standing at 5 feet 10 inches and sporting a thin yet muscular build, he has unruly gray hair worn in a single thigh-length braid, sky blue eyes with bright, glowing power symbols in the middle and has a scar along the left side of his jaw. He wears a pitch black, skintight plugsuit divided into two halves; the top half which covers his chest, arms and neck, and the bottom half which covered everything from his waste to his ankles, leaving his abdominal muscles exposed. He is also adorned with armored gauntlets and greaves, as well as a pauldron that cover his shoulders and the upper part of his chest, all colored a gunmetal gray with neon blue details.

The girls before him just glared back at him. The first, who wielded a black and purple katana, has long, dark lilac hair worn in twinbraids with two small black circular pieces with glowing blue x's in them and long bangs that frame her face. She has a mature/curvy figure in a black skintight leotard with purple segments and silver pieces along it as well as gloves and boot/leg armor that runs above her knees and forearms respectively.

The other, who is smaller and less stacked than the first, wielding a black and pink gunblade pointed straight at the man, has long, bright lilac-pinkish purple hair that reach her knees in length with few loose strands of long hair curling down with a round black accessory with a blue center in it. Her attire consists of a black bikini-esque outfit with parts of purple and smaller blue glowing pieces. The top/chest part is connected around the neck while her gloves and boots are above elbow and knee length.

As the main tried to catch his breath, his eyes were directed at two things in particular. He was looking at the severe scars on the girls chests, right where their hearts should be, as he narrowed his eyes at them in a mixture of regret and despair.

The other thing that caught his attention were their own eyes. The whites in their eyes were a dark grey, their iris' were dull in color, and the power symbols in their eyes were pitch black. Above all else, those eyes were filled with a heavy storm of emotions.

Anger. Contempt. Disgust. Malice... Hatred.

...And it's all directed towards him.

The elder of the two stepped forward scowling at the man and asked "What's the matter? Are we finished already?"

"Haa... Haa... Hehehehe..." The man chuckled. "Me? Naw..." The man staggered onto his feet and hunched forward, a slasher smile now present on his features. "...I'm just getting started!"

 ***BOOOM***

"What!?" Both sisters gasped as he shot himself forward like a bullet, scythe at the ready.

"Ypu won't get away!"

 ***BANG**BANG**BANG***

The younger sister attempted to shoot him down before he could get too close, but the gray man deftly dodged the first two shots and deflected the third one with ease as he closed into the elder sister.

"Too slow!" The instant he was within striking range, she swung down at him with all her might.

 ***WOOOSH***

"HUH!?" Only to slash at thin air as he seemingly disappeared.

"HAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Hearing a battle-cry from above, they directed their gaze upwards and saw him directly on top of them, scythe reeled back and ready to strike. Without a moments hesitation, he swung his scythe straight down at Purple Heart before she can retaliate... or so he thought.

"Tch! Predictable."

 ***CLANG***

"GAAAAAHHH!"

In an instant, she tightened her grip, twisted her swords edge upwards and parried the on-coming attack with ease, sending the man flying high into the air before crashing down on his back, with his scythe planted firmly on the grown above his head soon after.

The elder one swiped her weapon to her side with her eyes close, as if she merely swatted a fly.

The mans clenched his eyes and teeth in pain as he struggled to get back up. As soon as he attempted to lean his body forward, a harsh stomp forced him back down. He yelled in pain as a sharp heel began to dig into his right shoulder. Cracking one eye open, his vision was at first obscured, but soon cleared as he gazes upon Purple-haired katana wielder, standing right on top of his, gazing back with eyes clouded by hate.

He clicked his tongue in frustration, but soon after, his face turned to one of calm acceptance. One of a man embracing his imminent demise.

She snorted as she wielded her katana in a reverse grip and upraised it, preparing to stab him in the heart as he closed his eyes.

"... You had this coming."

* * *

 **Dawn/Zonic Apartment Complex/Planeptune/Present**

"AHH!" A loud scream echoed throughout the small bedroom as a young man shot up from his bed and woke up in a cold sweat. The man has thick, unkempt, dirty blonde hair which is somewhat parted with his bangs brushed down, light gray eyes and currently wears nothing but a pair of royal purple boxers, exposing most of his well-toned, yet moderately thin frame for all to see.

He hyperventilated as he patted his chest to calm the rapid beating of his heart. As soon as his heart slowed down, he took a few deep breaths and wiped the sweat from his face.

"Haa... Haa... Haa... Man. What the hell wa-?"

 ***BEEP**BEEP**BEEP**BEEP**BEEP***

"HOLY SH-!" The man cursed as he tumbled out of his bed in a panic and fell face first onto the carpeted floor "Aah! Sonuva-!" He rolled around as he held his face with both hands as the loud incessant noise continued. Staggering his way onto his feet, he scanned the room with a sneer to find out just what the hell is making that racket!?

A minute later, he spots the source of his rude awakening; a small, black, rectangular digital clock that says [6:01 AM] with bright, purple numbers, situated on top of a wooden dresser straight across the room.

"Oh right... My alarm clock." The man yawned as he scratched the back of his head and made his way to his surprisingly loud alarm. As soon as he approaches his dresser, he reaches to the back of the alarm and simply flipped a switch, turning it off and is immediately blessed with the sweet sound of silence.

"*Sigh* Seriously, with how often it manages to wake _me_ up, I'm shocked that I never get any noise complaints from the neighbors." He muses to himself, quickly looking left and right with his eyes and gave his dresser a good knock. He turns on his heel and looks around the room.

It's a small, compact room containing the bare essentials and them some, including a twin-sized bed with a wooden headboard, a closet containing most of his cloths, a desk with a computer and monitor, the aforementioned dresser and alarm clock along with several consoles, games and a small flat screen TV all neatly organized, a few anime posters scattered along the walls, and an entire wall covered with racks of swords, ranging from you're standard wooden kendo sword to actual weapons one would use in battle.

Quickly popping his neck and shoulders, the young man gave himself a few stretches to fully wake up before heading out of the bedroom and head straight to the bathroom next door. Hitting on the lights and turning on the faucet with cold water, he cupped his hands under the running water and proceeded to give his face a quick scrub.

Soon turning off the faucet and wiping off excess water, he looked at himself in the mirror for any blemishes that need to be taken care of, and much to his delight, there is none... except for the obvious and unsightly cowlick he has on the back of his head.

"Welp, not the worst case of bed head I've had... least I don't like some spiky-haired emo punk." He turns around to the shower behind him, reached down, turned on both nobs and wait for a bit as the water ran through the shower head. A minute later, he put his hand under the running shower water and smirked as he felt the water fall at just the right temperature. With that, he quickly took off his boxers, made his way into the shower and closed the curtains on his way in.

He hummed a cheery tune to himself as he thoroughly washed his body from head to toe, and making sure that cow-lick has been taken care of. Looking down to his nether regions, he smiled proudly to see no hair there whatsoever. After about a few minutes, he turns both nobs off, grabs a towel from a nearby rack and rubs his body and hair dry before wrapping it around his waist and stepping out. Making sure to grab his discarded boxers off the floor along the way, he quickly made his way back to his bedroom.

Wasting no time, he threw both his towel and boxers into a nearby hamper, opened his dresser, grabbed a pair of fresh stone grey underwear and a pure white tank top and put them both on. As soon as he was done, he made his way back out and walked down the narrow hallway of his apartment. He soon found himself in a decently sized living room, completely with a small TV/VHR/DVD set, coffee table, a loveseat couch, and a bean bag chair, with a small kitchen space nearby the front door, separated by a counter.

Making his way across the living room, he pulls back the curtains from his window and sees a good morning view of Planeptune as the sun slowly rises up on the horizon, transforming the dark blue night sky into purple and then orange in color. Turning back, he grabs the TV remote and turns on the news as he walks to the kitchen to grab some breakfast.

["Hello, everyone in Gameindustri! This is Nepstation, bringing you news and updates from around the globe and beyond the fourth-wall!"]

The man overhears the television as he sits down on the couch, resting a bowl of cereal, a plate of peanut butter toast and a tall glass of fruit punch onto the coffee table. For a good few minutes, he quietly watches the news as he enjoys his breakfast, all the while being very mindful not to make a mess. After all, he did just vacuum the rug yesterday, so better to keep it clean.

("Hmm, looks like there's a chance it's gonna rain. Better bring a coat when I go to the Guild today... and it's looks like shares across all nations are rock bottom. _Real shocker_. Man, it's practically been that way since-")

["In other news, today marks the XXth anniversary of the founding of our very own Land of Purple Progress, Planeptune. We at Nepstation encourage everyone to please pray for our beloved CPU and CPU Candidate, Lady Purple Heart and Lady Purple Sister, who have sadly disappeared alongside the other CPUs of Lastation, Lowee and Leanbox nearly 3 years ago. We also encourage the other nations to pray for their goddess today, pray that they all may soon return. That's all for now! This is Nepstation, signi-"]

 ***CLICK***

The young man turned off the television as he gulped down the last of his drink with an irritated look.

"Disappeared... Yeah, right." He scoffed. "Anyone with a good head on their shoulders know that they were beaten by ASIC and have been held captive since." He at least understood why the media does things like this; the Oracles of each nation most likely withheld that information to ease peoples fears and to try and keep faith in the CPUs running strong. Although that didn't stop any hackers with too much time on their hands from digging up that and leaking it out on the web. Most people thought it to be trolls, but he knew it to be the truth, otherwise ASIC wouldn't be where it is to this day.

With a sigh, he got up from the couch and brought his dishes back to the kitchen, washing them all thoroughly before placing them neatly in the dishwasher.

 ***RING**RING**RING**RING***

As soon as he was finished, the ringing of a cellphone pierced the silence as he turned to the source. Seeing a blue, clam-shell phone ringing and vibrating on the counter, he promptly swiped it off the counter and flipped it open to check the caller ID, which reads **[Miki]**. Recognizing the call almost immediately, he pressed on a button and brought the phone to his ear.

"Morning, Miki."

{"Good morning, Haru! How are you doing? Did you just wake up?"} The man, now identified as Haru, glances at a nearby clock and it reads [6:37 AM]

"Nope. Woke up about a half-hour ago. Already took a shower and ate breakfast." He answered as he casually leaned onto the counter. "So, what's up? Any new jobs down at the Guild today?"

{"Yes actually! We just got quite a few new quests down here at the Guild... some of them I know you might like~!"} Miki said in a sing-song tone.

" _Ohh,_ I like the sound of that." He replied coolly. "Alright, I just need to grab my cloths and gear and I'll be out. See ya in a few... oh, and tell your boyfriend I said 'hey'."

{"Will do. See ya then!"}

"See ya."

 ***BEEP***

Closing his phone and placing it back onto the counter and made his way back to his bedroom. Once there, Haru went straight to his closet to pick out his choice of clothing: a pair of black jeans, a moss green, sleeveless vest, a metal belt with a tiger buckle, and...

"Hmm, let's see. What kinda jacket should I wear?"

He sees a black trench-coat with gray lining going down the sleeves.

"Naw, too cliche."

Then a long, red coat with two tails, zippers on the sleeves and a buckle around the waist.

"Pretty stylish, but no."

Then another trench-coat, colored white with blue lines/edges and a fur collar, giving it sort of a modern lordly look to it.

"Yeah, last time I checked, my blood isn't blue."

Then a tan parka jacket with a fur hood.

"Eh, this will do." He pulls the jacket out of the closet, grabbed a pair of fingerless gloves from his dresser and made his way to his bed. "That reminds me, when I get the chance, I'm gonna have to ask Miki if that new coat I got off Nepazon is in yet." He reminds himself as he gets dressed.

Putting on his attire as well as a pair of black military-style boots, he stood up and made his way to his wall of weapons to grab his weapon of choice; a stylized twin-blade with a brown leather grip and the blades themselves are wide, double-edged blades that have a metallic silver color. Putting the weapon into his hammer-space, Haru made his way out of his room and to the kitchen counter, making sure to grab his cellphone, wallet and keys before heading out the door.

As soon as he was there, he turned his head to his right and spotted a small metal object, no bigger than his palm, hanging off a hook in the wall; a locket with a tiny amethyst gem in the middle, complete with chain. He picked it off the hook and brought it close to his face. He smiled softly to it and gave it a quick kiss before stuffing it into his coat pocket and made his way out, making sure to lock the door behind him.

* * *

 **Early Morning/ Planeptune Guild**

After about an hour of walking from his apartment, Haru managed to get to the front steps of the Planeptune branch of the Guild, which is considered to be it's main branch as well as the Guild headquarters. Though this should come to no surprise to anyone since the head of the Guild also happens to be the Oracle and unofficial leader of Planeptune, Histoire.

Haru looked up to the clock above the main entrance, which reads [7:32 AM]. He'd probably would've gotten here a lot faster had he taken one of the tubes that run around all of Planeptune or at least called a taxi, but he figured walking would be a bit more interesting. Taking a deep breath and putting on a smile, he casually walked to the front door of the Guild and as soon as he stepped a foot in front of it, the door opened smoothly for him as he stepped inside. Taking a look around, he sees the Guild hall, colored a metallic light-yellow and sporting several columns with holograms on them, showcasing various quests, with dozens of people inside, ranging from Adventurers/Mercenaries like Haru to respected Guild Agents.

His eyes settled onto the desk at the far back, spotting the clerk typing onto her laptop. The clerk was a young, well-stacked woman in her 20's with long, blue hair and matching eyes, wearing a white dress shirt with a purple tie, a blue skirt that goes down to her knees, white knee-high socks and brown loafers. At the front of her desk was a small sign that read **[Miki Makushiba]** , and underneath it in smaller letters **[Voiced by: Carrie Savage (ENG)/ Rei Matsuzaki (JAP)]**. Casually walking up to her, he rang the bell right next to her to gain her attention.

"Good morning. Welcome to the Guild, how may I-" She greeted at first, but upon seeing Haru, her features brighten considerably and turned in her chair to full face him. "Oh, Haruto! Took you long enough."

"Yo, Miki." Haruto greeted with a smile and peace sign. "Sorry I took so long, but you know me."

"Yeah, I know." Miki raised an eyebrow. "So, what kept ya this time? Did you find another gang of thugs harassing a hot girl?" She teased.

"Nope, not today, although I did bump into a couple rats... a pair of loud, foul-mouthed ones, if you know what I mean." He said as he explained himself.

He did in fact run into rats on the way over; specifically a green-haired, pale-skinned teenager wearing a gray hoodie that looks like a rat, and a literal giant grey rat with bat-wings. Apparently they were selling illegal disks and emulator chips down at a public street corner before Haruto spotted them. When they tried to harass him, he took care of them both with relative ease... in the form of a rather one-sided beat-down. Though he did give them points for putting up a fight.

"... But they managed to give me the slip before the cops arrived." Haruto finished, with Miki leaning forward on her desk, both fascinated and somewhat disturbed with what she was told.

"Geez, selling that kind of stuff out in the open, _and_ in broad daylight? *Whistles* ASIC is getting pretty bold these days." Miki commented. "You might wanna consider getting yourself some type of vehicle, ya know just in case you run into trouble even you can't handle."

"C'mon Miki, it's me. I can handle myself just fine... although, I am looking into getting myself some wheels when I have the time and money. 'Til then, it's walking for me. Besides, as long as you know where to avoid the bad neighborhoods, you'd be amazed with what else you can find."

"Hmm..." Miki hummed as she brought a hand to her chin. "Ya know, if I didn't have to wake up so early to go to work, I might actually take you up on your offer."

"Then go ahead and try it when you're not on morning shifts. Trust me, it's pretty good for your gluts."

"Hahaha. as if I already have enough butt to go around."

"True."

"Anyways, you know the drill," Miki turns in her chair, types in a few letters and a section of the desk opened up to reveal a scanner. "Just put your ID onto the scanner and we'll get ya going."

"Yes, ma'am." Haruto replied, pulling out an ID out of his wallet and places it onto the scanner. Seconds later, a holographic screen popped up in front of him showing him his bust shot as well as his identification. As his profile disappeared, several more screens popped up in its place, showing various quests from the Guild, ranging from fetch quests to extermination jobs to full-blown bounty hunts. Shifting through his choices, he spots two in particular: [Dogoo Extermination] and [Ancient Dragon Quest]. he presses on both choices, as well as a few fetch quests for good measure, and moved them to the left as they show up on Mikis monitor.

"Excellent choices, Haru!"

"Yeah, it's been a while since I've fought an Ancient Dragon, so it'd be perfect to brush up on my skills... that and someones gotta take care of those slim-balls roaming around."

"Definitely. Those things really have a nasty habit of playing with a girls purity... makes me kinda wonder how they reproduce."

"I'd rather not think about that, thank you very much." Haruto waves off as he sees another hologram appear, basically telling him that he has officially accepted the quests.

"Well, you're all set and ready to go!" Miki exclaims as she claps her hands. "... Oh right, you might wanna hurry on that dragon. A Guild agent and her friend came by this morning and accepted that same quest... I think one of them may be your type~."

Haruto raises an eyebrow in intrigue. "That so?" Miki nods to him as she shows the quest details to him. Underneath his profile are two bust-shots of teenaged girls; one is an A-Cup brunette with green eyes, a leafy bow in her hair, a black tank-top and a blue overcoat, and the other is a pinkette with a black hair-band, eyes that match the color of her hair, and a wool-styled tank top with a big neck and un-attached sleeves... and apparently she is an E-Cup. "... Can't say I don't see why you'd assume that."

"I know, right? Do you see that girl? Her boobs are even bigger than mine!" Miki pouts as she pressed her D-Cup breasts together.

"Well, breasts aren't everything." Haruto brings a hand to his hip. "You really shouldn't judge a book by it's cover."

Miki giggles at his comment. "You're literally the only guy I know who says that, weirdo."

"It's the truth. Anyways, " Haruto trails off as he turned 180 degrees on his heel. "I better hit the trail. Try and have a nice one... and be sure to give any guy who give you the eye the usual." He says with a smirk.

"No need to tell me twice..." Miki replied as her right foot tapped onto the floor. "Also, be careful out there! It looks like it could storm any minute!" Haruto waves to her as he makes his exit and Miki goes back to work.


	2. Prologue Part 2

**TerraDimension Neptunia: Gray Advent/Prologue- Part 2**

 **Midday /Virtua Forest**

A little while after accepting the quests, Haruto was casually strolling through the Virtua Forest, his arms swaying by his sides as he scanned the area for his targets. He had already gathered the necessary items for his sub-quests, though some were easier to find then others, so all he needed to do was to take care of the pack of Dogoos and Ancient Dragon roaming around these parts.

Haruto sighs in boredom. He's been looking looking around for what seemed like forever and he hasn't seen a single sign of a dragon or even a hint of Dogoo Jelly. ("Man, you'd think they would be easy to find, all things considered.") He looks up to the sky as he continues walking along. The once blue sky is now covered with gray, thundering storm clouds and the air itself is beginning to feel humid. He better get his butt in gear, otherwise he's going to get soaked.

 ***DOGOOO!***

"Hm?" Harutos ears perked up as a smirk graced his features. "Now I wonder what that could be...?" He turns and jogs his way to the source of the noise. After going through some bushes and forestry, he pushes a branch aside as he comes upon a clearing, and with it...

 ***DOGOOO!* *DOGOOO!***

A whole pack of Dogoos, a lot more then required by the quest, all bunched up together and just begging to get owned. "Jackpot." Haruto smirked as he reached for his twinblade... only to hesitate and retract his hand. "No..." He looks up to the gray sky above. "Why don't I let mother nature do her thing."

He quietly steps into the clearing without alerting the pack and began gathering energy into his right hand as it glowed and electric blue. At the same time, the storm clouds above began to crackle and boom above the unsuspecting Dogoos. He planted himself firmly on the ground, held his hand out while holding his thumb, index finger and middle finger together and took aim at the pack of Dogoos in front of him.

Once the storm above reached its peak, with a smile, he whispers, " **Zap Rondo**." and with a snap of his fingers, raging bolts of lightning struck down from the heavens and extinguished the entire pack without warning, leaving nothing but a smoking, charred crater.

Satisfied at his handiwork, he dusted his hands together with a smirk. "Done and done. Man, I love doing that on a stormy day." The clouds above rumbled as the sound of thunder came to his ears. "Speaking of which, I better find that dragon fast before it starts raining cats and dogs." He turns on his heel to continue his search...

"AAH!"

"Dammit, get off!"

"Hmm?" His ears perked up when he heard the sound of two girls screaming, and judging by the moans and tone of their voices, it could only mean one thing... the Dogoos are having some fun right now.

Haruto sighs as he shakes his head. "Man, those things never really learn, do they?" He asks himself rhetorically as he turned on his heel and ran towards the source of the disturbance.

* * *

Elsewhere, in the middle of another clearing, two teenaged girls, one a brunette and the other a pinkette, were being harassed by a large pack of Dogoos. For the former, the Dogoos were all over her large blue coat and some were trying to crawl up her legs, while the latter is being ganged up from all sides.

"S-Stop it! No...aah...that's...ah...dirty...haa, gha...don't touch me there!" The pinkette cries out as she desperately tries to pry the Dogoos off her, but to no avail as they all have her almost completely covered.

"Grrr, these things are just slimy and gross!" The brunette growled as she attempted to shake them off, but much like her companion, they seem to be sticking to her like glue. "Tch! Alright, that's it!" Within a split seconds, she took off her coat and throwed it straight to the ground, the Dogoos along with it before she pulled out a pistol and opened fire, taking them all out before they had the chance to escape.

She them quickly and violently shook the ones off her legs and stabbed them with a qatar as another round surrounded her. "Not this time! **Demon Flame**!" Snapping her fingers, a raging torrent of flame surrounded her and scorched the remaining Dogoos to ash and leaving her unscathed.

"Ugh, finally!" she dusted herself off a she breathed a sigh of relief. Looking to where her coat was, she narrowed her eyes in annoyance and frustration, as it was now full of bullet holes and the edges were slightly burnt. "Dammit, and that was my favorite one too..." She walked toward the coat and from what remains, she picked up a brown belt chock-full of cellphone straps in varying colors, with said cellphones remaining unscathed. "Aw well, at least these are alright."

"Ah! N-No...please! Anything but that! Iffy help!"

"Oh crap! Compa!" Quickly turning around, IF sees Compa immodestly yelping and moaning as she was almost covered in Dogoos, with some of them slipping under her shirt and playing with her breasts and another wiggling around directly under her skirt. "Hang on, I'm coming!" wrapping the belt around her and properly fastening it in almost an instant, she pulled out both her qatars and charged forward to her friend.

"N-No more~! Ah...I'm gonna...gonna-!"

 ***SLASH**SLASH**SLASH**SLASH***

In a split second, the sounds of a blade cut through the air as all the Dogoos surrounding Compa exploded off of her, causing her to collapse onto her knees, her breath ragged and her face flushed. IF took a double take, trying to process what just happened, but decided to brush it off for now in favor of checking on Compas current condition.

"Compa, are you alright!?" She hurried to her friends side and took a knee as she inspects the damage. Other than leftover globs of Dogoo Jelly here and there, Compa seems relatively untouched... which is what she would've hoped, if not for the fact that whatever force got them off her, it indirectly caused Compas shirt and unattached sleeves to be torn to shreds.

"Haa... Haa... I'm alright Iffy..." Compa felt a chill around her body. When she looked down and see she was basically shirtless, with an "Eeek!", she covered up her modesty with her arms, all the while her entire face was as red as a tomato. Looking away in embarrassment, Compa looks up to her right and looked surprised with what she saw. Following her friends gaze, IF spots, who she can only guess, is the one who managed to get the Dogoos off of Compa:

A guy with dirty-blonde hair, wearing a tan parka jacket, black jeans and boots and fingerless gloves. In his right hand, he wields a stylized silver twin-blade, and in his outstretched left hand, is a squirming Dogoo being held up by its face. In a moment, his hand sparked with electricity as he crushed the Dogoo in his grasp and shook his fist to get the excess jelly off.

"Alright then, that takes care of that." The young man said coolly before he hoisted his twin-blade onto his shoulder as he turned to the duo with a casual smile on his features and addressed them. "Sorry to drop in like this ladies, but that was starting to look _really_ obscene."

Both girls snapped back into attention as he called out to them, with Compa being the first to speak. "O-Oh, no. It's alright. We're just glad you came when you did."

IF nodded her head to Compa. "Yeah, it probably would've been a lot worse." Then she directed her attention back to the young man and narrowed her eyes at him. "Still, you could've at least been a little more careful. You practically tore her clothes to shreds!"

Raising an eyebrow, the man took a better look at Compa and slightly flinched upon seeing her almost bare torso. "Oh, whoops. Ehehe, sorry." He chuckled awkwardly. He then planted his twin-blade onto the ground, brought his free hand to his chin and placed the other onto his hip, looking down as he pondered for a moment before a light bulb sprung to light in his mind. "Ah, I got it." He looked to the duo and held up a finger... at the same time another Dogoo came out of nowhere and is attempting to sneak up on him. "Give me a sec."

As soon as The Dogoo tries to pounce him, He proceeds to nonchalantly back-kick it into the air and quickly finish it off by round-house kicking it into a tree, splattering on impact. With a quick spin, pivot and pose, he takes off his own jacket with one hand, leaving him in only his sleeveless green vest as he slings his jacket over his shoulder and walks on over to Compa.

("Tch. What a showoff.") IF noted as she eyed the young man suspiciously. As soon as he was within arms reach, IF quickly noted the mains height, him being at least half a head taller than her. ("... Damn, he's tall.")

He took a knee and presented his coat to the some-what clothed pinkette. "Here ya go. Don't know if it'll fit, but it's better than nothing."

Compa in turn carefully took the jacket and looked at it before directing her attention back to him. "Really, you want to give me this?"

"Yep." He replied with a smile.

"Ohh, that's so sweet, Aha." She smiled brightly as she held it close to her chest. "Thank you very much."

"It's no biggie." He waved off as he placed a hand on his knee and pushed himself back up. "Can't exactly let a pretty girl walk around in her underwear, am I right?" He directs his attention to IF, catching her by surprise.

"I-I... well yeah, of course. The last thing we need is to give creeps more reason to stare at her." IF stated. Goddess knows they've run into a lot of perverts that just _love_ to stare at Compa's assets.

"True that." He agreed. He then turned his attention to his closed fist and scowled lightly. "... Although I can't say the same for these sadly." He said before looking to Compa again. The pinkette herself look to him and tilted her head quizzically as he stretched his arm forward and opened his hand up, with a small item falling out of his grasp. Quickly catching it with one hand, Compa inspected the mystery item, only to find out that it's...

"MY PANTIES!"

"Wait, what!?" Darting her eyes to Compas open palm, IF sees that what the young man had given her were in fact her pink panties. Jumping to the worse case scenario, IF glared angrily at him. "Hey, how the hell did you get those, you p-!"

"Hold it!" He raised his hand and interrupted IF before she could finish. "I know what you're thinking, and let me just say... it was already in the Dogoos mouth by the time I caught it."

"What are you..." IF trailed off as she took a better look at Compas panties as comical tears ran down her friends face. Upon closer inspection, the panties were close to being completely soaked in slime, it had several bite marks on it, and the waistband seemed to be chewed off, rendering them unusable. Thinking back onto the matter, IF quickly recalled the Dogoo that was inside Compas skirt. Quickly putting two and two together, IF guessed that the Dogoo he crushed earlier must be the same one. "...Oh. Uh...sorry." IF apologized, scratching the back of her head and mentally kicking herself for not noticing something so obvious.

"Eh, no harm done." He waved off and then pointed at the now destroyed panties. "Though I gotta say, that little guy really did a number on those."

"Awawawawa~." Compa cried as she turned to her friend. "What am I going to do Iffy? I can't go out in public like this. What if some t-tries to take a peak?"

"We're just going to have to head back to your place and get you a fresh pair."

"But my house is too far away from here, and besides, it'll be pouring by the time we get back!"

 ***BOOM***

"EEEP!" Compa jumped as the three of them heard a bit of thunder roar from above.

IF looked up to the sky as the clouds are getting darker by the minute. "Ah, crap. Well, this is a first." IF sighed as she pondered for a moment.

"... Why don't you give her your panties?"

"HUH!?"

IF turned to the young man and stared at him as if he grew and extra limb, while he himself looked at her with a completely straight face. Before she could interject further, he clarified. "Now, before you get anymore ideas, hear me out." He raised a finger and pointed towards her shorts."Between the two of you, unless someone has the balls to pull your shorts down, you at least have the advantage of _not_ wearing a skirt."

"... So, if Iffy gives me her panties, I don't have to worry when walking around and no one would be able to tell that she's not wearing any!" Compa finished with a bright smile on her face.

He snapped his fingers to her and said "Bingo."

IFs eyes widened considerably and her cheeks began to flush."Wait, hold on! You're actually agreeing to this, Compa!?" IF posed the question to her friend, only to receive an enthusiastic nod in return.

The young man shrugged his shoulders. "Well, it's either that or she goes commando... and honestly, I don't think that's a good option." He pointed out.

IF wanted to counter that argument, as she is, understandably flustered at the suggestion. The thought of giving Compa her own underwear sent some very lewd thoughts to the guild agents mind, not to mention that some guy they have met for not even a few minutes would be more than glad to watch. However, any words she might have had died in her throat, as the logical side of IF is telling her that they're right. She crossed her arms and thought it over for a moment.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"...*sigh* Alright, fine." IF reluctantly agreed after a few moments passed. She then pointed a finger at the young man and gave him a sharp glare. "B-But you have to turn around until we say so, and if I catch you peaking-!"

"Way ahead of ya..." The young man said casually as he turned around. "I gotta go take a wiz anyways. Let me know when you gals are finished." He waved as he began to walk away from them. Both girls eyed him as he walked away further and further.

Once he was at a fair enough distance, IF breathed a sigh of relief and turned to Compa. "Alright, Compa? Can you keep an eye on him for a sec?"

"Huh!?" Compa stiffened up for a moment before her cheeks changed color again. "W-Wait, you want me to peak on him!?"

"What!? No!" IF shook her head hard. "I mean keep an eye out in case _he_ tries to peak on us!"

"Ooohhhh... OK!" Compa agreed with a salute as she turned to the young man, who was now pretty far away from them, and may or may not be out of ear shot.

IF sighed as she walked on over and took a seat on a nearby tree stump. She really didn't want to, but it was either this or risk someone getting a good look at Compas privates.

Wasting no time, she got to work and quickly took off both of her boots and unclipped both her silver belt and the belt holding all of her phones. Taking a deep breath and steeling herself, IF unhooked the button on her shorts and pulled down the zipper. Then, she hooked both her shorts and panties with her thumbs, and in one swift motion, pulled them both down and off her legs, leaving her private garden exposed to the elements. She shivered as a light breeze blew her way, lamenting on both the current situation, as well as her lack of wearing a coat.

Shaking it off, she set aside her pair of tan panties and quickly put her shorts and boots back on. ("Ugh... this feels so weird.") IF lamented, not exactly feeling comfortable without any panties. If that stranger was right about one thing though, she at least doesn't have to worry about any perverts taking a peak.

... Unless they indeed have the guts to pull her shorts down, in which case, IF would be sure to castrate them on the spot.

That aside, Once she put her belts back on and made sure her shorts were safely secure, she grabbed her panties, pushed herself up from the stump and made her way to Compa.

 ***STAAAAAARE***

At the same time, Compa stared off to where the young man went off to with a light blush and with the utmost concentration, so much so that she remained unaware of IFs presence right next to her.

"Uh, Compa..." Tapping on her shoulder, Compa snapped out of her trance and diverted her attention to IF. "Here you go." IF then presents her with her own panties with a faint blush. "I'll keep an eye on him while you change. Just let me know when you're done, alright?"

"OK, Iffy. I won't take long." Gently taking a hold of IFs panties in one hand and holding the tan parka in the other, Compa made her way to the same stump to put them on. Meanwhile IF directed her gaze to the direction the young man went to, and easily spotted him in standing in front of a tree and-

"Geh!" IFs face flushed as she tore her eyes away from him in embarrassment and shame. ("D-Did I just seriously see a guy taking a piss in the woods!?") IFs head was now being filled to the brim with naughty and risque thoughts as she desperately attempted to shake them out. ("N-No, you're just gonna do it so he doesn't peak. Yeah, that's it. I'm not doing anything wrong.")

After trying to convince herself, IF slowly turned her head back with a faint blush to where the young man was currently relieving himself. While he is indeed a fair distance away, there was no mistaking what he was doing, as IF could see him just fine even at long range... a little too well, perhaps.

"... Is it s-suppose to be that big?"

"OK Iffy! I'm done!" Compa called out. Turning away from the site before her, IF turned to Compa and raised a brow in surprise as she sees her now wearing the mans tan parka, which was completely zipped up for complete coverage.

"Huh... That looks surprisingly good on you, Compa." IF complemented.

"You really think so?" She asked with a bright smile, with IF replying with a nod. "Aw, thank you Iffy. Also, this feels really comfy... you're panties feel good too. Are they si-MMPH!?"

Compa didn't have time to finish as IF covered her mouth with both hands and hushed her in a low whisper, all the while her eyes went wide and her face was beet red. "Don't say that out loud! He might hear you!"

"... By the way, you can keep the jacket! I've been meaning to get rid of that for a while now!" The young man called out.

"Mmph mmm!" (Translation: Thank you!) Compa muffled out. IF hung her head in defeat as her hands released their hold on Compas mouth and fell to her sides. "It's clear! You can come on out now!" Compa called out.

After a few moments, the duo see the young man coming out from the thicket he went to while he rubs his hands together. "It's a good thing I had some hand-sanitizer in my back pocket." Finishing and shaking his hands dry, he extracted his fingerless gloves from his pockets and put them back on. "You never know when nature decides to make an out-going call."

IF rolled her eyes and said sarcastically "Oh hey, lucky you."

"Hehe..." He lightly chuckles as he stood before them. "At any rate, how did you gals enjoy the show?"

"Hm?" Both girls turn their heads to the young man, who was looking at them with a sly smile. IF narrowed her eyes in suspicion. "What do you mean?"

He merely shakes his head as he chuckles to himself. "Don't try to play coy with me..." He then points an accusatory finger at both of them. "I mean I get you're just trying to be cautious... but did you two really have to peak on a guy who's trying to take a leak?"

"WHA?!" IF and Compas faces turn red and they became froze stiff on the spot as if they were a pair of burglars caught red-handed.

The young man smirked as he scratched his right cheek. "I guess guys really aren't the only ones who are curious about this sorta thing... and to think that you ladies call us perverts."

IF attempted to cover for them, but any words she tried to form came out as nonsensical babbling. While she was doing that, Compa clasped her hands together and bowed deeply. "W-W-We're sorry! W-We didn't mean to peak!" Compa profusely apologized.

"Hahahahahaha! Kidding, kidding!" he laughed out loud, snapping them both back into attention.

Compa was at least relieved, but now IF is getting rather ticked off at the man. "Why you son of a-!"

"Ahh, relax. It's cool." The young man waved off nonchalantly, calming them both down considerably as he dawn a more serious expression. "In all seriousness, I don't exactly blame you two for being suspicious, seeing that we just met and all." He then sighed as he scratched the back of his head. "That and the fact that guys don't exactly have the best rep in Gameindustri doesn't help."

IF just rolled her eyes and scoffed. "Whatever." ("Sheesh, it hasn't even been an hour and I already don't like this guy.") She said in her thoughts before popping the big question. "Anyways, all that BSing aside, just who are you anyways?"

"Ah, right." the young man straightened himself and took a bow before the duo. "I'll be happy to introduce myself, but first... left shoulder, 7 O'clock."

 ***CLICK**CLICK**BANG***

While keeping a straight face at the young man, IF pulled out her pistol, aimed it behind her shoulder and shot at another Dogoo that tried to sneak up on her, killing it instantly. "You were saying?"

He gave IF a curt smile before taking another bow before her and Compa. "The name is Kiiryu... Haruto Kiiryu." Haruto officially introduced himself before raising his head back up to face them. "And I take it you must be the Guild Agent and her friend I was told about before coming here?"

IF crossed her arms and looked at Haruto suspiciously. "You seem well informed."

"Well, Miki really isn't known for confidentiality, so..."

"Wait, Miki? As in Miki Makushiba?"

"The blue-haired girl in her twenties that works at the Guilds front desk? Yep, that's the one."

Then Compa walked closer to him and spoke. "Hmm? How do you know Mi-Mi?"

("Mi-Mi? Aha, that's cute.") Haruto thought to himself before answering. "Yeah, well, Miki and I go a while back when I first started taking jobs for the Guild. At first it was mainly professional, but we just shot the shit and just sorta hit it off." Haruto then raised an open hand to them. "Now before you assume, she already has a boyfriend; his name is Ichika, a real nice guy, if about as dense as a ton of bricks. So we're not _that_ close, in case either of you were curious."

"... I didn't even ask." IF scoffed as her hand fell to her side.

Haruto just shrugged in response. "So, mind if I know your names? May as well get to know eachother for a bit while we're standing here."

"Fine, if you insist." IF said in slight annoyance before putting a hand through her long hair and flicked it coolly and putting her other hand on her hip. "I'm IF, the Wind Walker of Gameindustri." She introduced herself.

"And my name is Compa!" Compa said as she took a polite bow. "It's really nice to meet you Haruto... also, thanks again for the jacket. It's really cozy."

"Hey, no prob." Haruto offered his welcome as he gave her a peace sign and a wink.

"Alright, now that we have the introductions out of the way..." IF spoke up, directing their attention back to her. "Mind explaining what you're doing out here?"

"The same reason you gals are here." He responded promptly. "Just doing some work for the Guild and currently hunting an Ancient Dragon."

IF and Compa both raised their brows in surprise before the former spoke up. "Wait, an Ancient Dragon... by yourself?"

"Yep." He replied casually. "Now don't let my good-looks fool you, I'm a lot stronger than you might think."

("Well you're kind of conceited.") IF mused as she eyed him skeptically. "You might say that, but taking on something like that solo, you're practically begging to get mauled."

"Well a challenge every now and then does make life a little more interesting, don't you think?"

 ***ROOAAAAAARRR!***

The group of three stood in place as a thunderous roar clamored into their ears. Before they knew it, the ground beneath them began to shake as a pair of loud footsteps came in their direction. Haruto merely smile in excitement as he grabbed his twin-blade out of the ground and turned to the direction of the noise. "Well, well, well, look who finally decided to show up?" On cue, a massive, brown, reptilian monster with wings practically charged out of a nearby thicket and skid to a stop, facing the three of them with a menacing glare.

"There it is!" IF pulled out her qatars and got into a battle stance as she smirked confidently. "Alright, let's make this quick. Come on, Compa!"

"Roger Iffy!" Compa replied as she pulled out an absurdly large syringe out of her own purse, almost completely catching Haruto off guard.

("OK, now that is just terrifying...") Haruto thought to himself as he rested his twin-blade on his shoulder. "Hey, mind if I get in on this number?" He asked IF as he prepares for combat.

"Yeah sure, fine. Just don't get in our way, alright." IF replied quickly. While she's be more than happy to say no to the jackass beside her, at this point, the faster they beat this thing, the faster they can get out of the inevitable rain-storm, so the more the merrier. She's just hoping he won't slow them down.

Haruto smiled, satisfied with the answer he got. "Alright, then!"

Haruto brought his weapon over his head, twirled it around for a moment before bringing it back to his side, taking a stance as he hunched over with one hand to the ground. "Let's start the party!" Before they could blink, he made a mad sprint towards the Ancient Dragon, who upon seeing the warrior roared out and tried to swipe at him.

Haruto quickly side-stepped out of the way of it's attack and continued forward, setting his sights on it's legs. With a quick twirl, he slashed at it's ankles as he dashed under it before it had time to retaliate. Skidding to a stop and using his hand to turn around and face the beasts back, He saw it's tail overhead, ready to smash him. Rolling out of the way in the nick of time, he charged electric blue energy into his twinblade before lunging forward. " **X-Bolt!** " He twirled his blade around and slashed it's back in an X formation, causing the dragon to stagger and howl in pain.

It swiftly turned and swiped at Haruto with it's backhand while he was still in mid-air. Although he blocked the blow, he was sent flying straight into a nearby tree, air escaping his lungs and coughing out saliva the moment his back hit the bark hard. However, Haruto got back up as quickly as he was brought down and faced the monster as it stepped towards him.

 ***BANG**BANG**BANG**BANG***

All of a sudden, sounds of gunfire rang through the air as several bullets came flying at the side of the dragons face. Irritated, it turned to face the source, only for IF to coming leaping straight at it, planting one qatar into its arm to help her stay on as she gathered fire into her other hand. " **Demon Flame!** " She snapped her fingers and in an instant, a torrent of flame blasted straight into its face. Roaring in pain and anger, it attempted to swipe her off of its arm, but IF quickly dislodged her qatar from it and hoped over it's other arm while running further up until she got to it's face.

" **Soul Combination!** " She dashed forward and landed a devastating combo of slashes and kicks onto it before finishing with a rising kick to its jaw, staggering it further as she leapt off the dragon and did a few backflips before nailing the landing.

"*Whistles* Man, that was smooth!" Haruto complimented, but soon noticed the dragon reeling it's head back as flames gathered into it's mouth. "Hey, heads up!" He warns the Guild Agent as he twirled his twin-blade and threw it straight at the dragon. Just as it was about to let loose its fire breath, the twin-blade flew straight and true and slashed it's left eye, the dragon wailing in pain as its flames blew skywards.

"Phew, what has that thing been eating?" Haruto said as he mockingly waved his hand in front of his face. As soon as it was done, it directed a death glare at the young man, getting ready to charge before the twin-blade boomeranged its way back and slashed through the ride side of its throats, roaring even more as blood came gushing out. The dragon held its open wound while Haruto expertly caught his twin-blade as it came back to him.

"Compa, now! Aim for it's other eye!" IF gave the order to her friend as the pinkettes syringe gathered pink energy into its tip.

"Alright! Time to take your shot, Mr. Monster!" With that, Compa fired off a large, pink energy beam from her syringe as she fell flat on her butt from the recoil. The laser shot straight and true and hitting its mark, directly into the dragons other eye, completely blinding it.

"Bullseye!" IF threw a fist into the air as she readied her weapons, crouching down and preparing to rush at the dragon. "Hey Haruto, you ready!" She calls to the young man, who crouched himself and steadied his blade.

With a slasher smile, he replied "Let's rock!" As they both took off and ran towards the dragon as it held its bleeding eyes with both hands. IF went on ahead first, slashing and twirling with her qatars before kicking it in its gut, back-flipping and opened fire at it's exposed torso as Haruto came from under her. He rushed in with several devastating and stylish sword combos, leaving its abdomen and legs covered in gashes before hunching over and allowing IF to vault over him. She fired off a few more rounds before taking her qatars and rammed them straight into it's soft underside. With a roar of her own, IF savagely slashed its body upwards in a V before finishing with a cross slash.

Behind her, Haruto went back several steps before sprinting and made a huge leap above the dragon before driving his twin-blade down straight into his head. Roaring in agony, the dragon thrashed around and flailed uncontrollably in a desperate effort to shake him off, with IF back stepping out of its attack range as Haruto held on. "Yeeehaw! Ride 'em, cowboy!" Haruto exclaimed, obviously having a bit too much fun with the current situation.

Deciding that he had enough, Haruto sent a violent spark through the dragons body using his sword as a lightning rod, effectively stunning it as he dug his sword out of its skull, lept off and landed safely on the way down. He turned to IF and gave her a thumbs up. "Alright IF, finish it off!"

"Don't need to tell me twice!" She replied as she let her gaze fall to the dragon, who was writhing in pain as it could now barely move a muscle. With a smirk, IF gathered a bit of pale-blue/green energy into her hand before throwing it at the monsters feet. " **La Delphinus!** " With a wave of her hand, a large glyph appeared beneath the dragon and then a blinding light blasted from it as the dragon roared in agony.

Once the light died down, the dragons body, which was now maimed and burnt to a crisp, stood still for a few moments before it collapsed to its side with a thud.

"Ha!" Haruto yelled as he sheathed his weapon. "Now that's how it's done!" He turned on his heel and faced the two girls as they made their way towards him. "So, you two alright?"

"Yeah, for the most part." IF replied as she dusted herself off.

"What about you, Haruto? Are you alright? Mr. Monster didn't hurt you too bad, did he?" Compa pressed on, concerned for the young mans well being after seeing him take a hit from the dragon.

"Yeah, I'm alright..." He took a step forward, only to wince as he felt a sharp pain running through his rib-cage. "... a little winded and a few cracked ribs, but nothing to worry about." Haruto waved off.

Compa shook her head disapprovingly. "No, it is something to worry about! As a nurse, I can't let someone walk around like that. Your injuries would only get worse."

"Hmm?" Haruto raised a brow. "A nurse? Well, that explains the horrifyingly huge syringe."

"It's kinda laughable if you ask me." IF snarked

Compa takes a few steps forward and stood in front of Hayato. "We can't leave your wounds untreated. I'm going to have to check them myself. Pull up your shirt, pretty please~."

"... Alright, if you say so." Haruto would normally object to this, especially since he knows he's walked off more serious injuries than this, but it doesn't look like the pink-haired nurse is going to budge and inch. So, he simply shrugged his shoulders, unzipped his vest and lifted his tank-top underneath, giving both girls a full view of his abs and chest. "It kind hurts the most around the ribcage area, so check there."

"R-Right." Compa blushed lightly as she got to work on her examination. Meanwhile, IF turned her head away, using a good amount of willpower to not look upon the almost shirtless man her friend is currently inspecting.

 ***Peak***

However, her efforts failed spectacularly, as she ended up looking at him from the corner of her eyes. From what she could see, while he is by no means a body-builder, his muscles were pretty compact, and from the way he's built, IF could almost consider him attractive... almost.

Back to Compa, she carefully felt around his chest cavity to look for the injuries that might not be visible. In the process, the pink-haired nurse ended up getting a good feeling of his abdominal muscles. They're certainly lean and very solid, and while she could feel a bit of fat, it was just barely noticeable, if non-existent. Reaching for the upper part of his body, just below his pectorals, Compa could here Haruto groan a little.

"Alright, the ouchies are right here." Wasting no time, she reached into her purse and pulled out a small container of ointment and some gauze and got to work. She dabbed her fingers with the ointment and gently rubbed it on the sore area, as well as any bruises she happened across. Once the correct amount was applied, she put away the ointment and began wrapping gauze around the middle of Harutos body. Making sure there was enough to cover the whole area (a little too much perhaps.), she tied it all in a neat little bow and make sure it was on tight. "There." Compa wiped a bit of sweat off her brow using her arm. "How does it feel Haruto? Feeling any better."

Haruto pulled his tank-top back down and zipped up his vest as the pinkette pushed herself up. "Well, I have to say its feels a little better..." Haruto decided to move his body from side to side, still felling a slight pain, but nothing serious. "Although I think you tied up the gauze a bit too much." Haruto could feel the gauze almost compressing his ribcage. While it isn't enough to prevent him from breathing altogether, it did feel like he was wearing some kind of corset.

"Well, at least she didn't tie you up like a mummy." IF mused. "That aside, I gotta say you handled yourself pretty well back their." She complemented as IF flashed him a small smile. "You managed to weaken it without much effort and you even tanked a direct it. Color me impressed."

"Hey thanks. You gals weren't half-bad either. You moved so fast it didn't even scratch you." Haruto replied as he held a fist out to her.

IF looked to him for a moment and them back to his hand, trying to decide whether to leave him hanging or return the gesture. In her head, he seems like any other guy she's met, but even she had to admit that he isn't a total waste of skin, not to mention that A. He did give Compa his coat, and B. he actually kept his word earlier and didn't peak... even if he did tease them both for spying on him like a jackass.

"... Eh, what the hell." With a small smile, IF raised a fist of her own and gave him a fist-bump. "But don't go thinking that this makes us friends now." She warned him.

Haruto put a hand to his chest and pretended to look hurt, all the while smiling. "Ah, madam, you wound me."

"Oh shut it." IF brushed off, earning a chuckle from both Haruto and Compa.

"Ehehehe. Looks like you two are getting along." Compa chirped happily.

Haruto turned to Compa and flashed her a smile. "You really think so, hu-"

 ***BOOOM!***

"EEP!" Compa shrieked as the clouds above bellowed with thunder and lighting. Without skipping a beat, rain immediately began to pour excessively onto the land and drenching the three of them almost instantly.

"Oh, _now_ it decides to rain!?" IF complained at the weathers poor timing.

"Crap, at this rate we'll be soaked to the bone before we can make it back... " Hayato said as the torrent of rain continued to pour down on them like a waterfall. "C'mon girls, we gotta book it!" He calls to the two of them as he turns and prepares to run like crazy.

"Right! Compa, lets get the lead out!"

"OK! It's a really good think I have a coat on!"

"Don't remind us!" Both Haruto and IF yelled, the former now slightly regretting giving the pinkette his coat, and the later lamenting the loss of her own. With that, the party of three began to run as fast as their legs could carry them, hoping to get out of the rain as soon as possible.


	3. Prologue Part 3

**AN: Before we begin, let me give a quick shout out to "TheCyver", for pre-reviewing this chapter and the next two for me for any mistakes. Thanks dude, that helped a bunch. *Thumbs Up***

 **Mid-Afternoon/Planeptune Guild**

Within the halls of the Guild, Haruto stepped out of a room with a fresh set of cloths, that for some reason match what he was previously wearing besides the parka that Compa kept, as he finishes drying off his hair. "Thank Purple Heart that the locker rooms are pretty close to the entrance, otherwise I'd look like a wet dog." He mused as he shook his head, getting rid of whatever excess rainwater was on it and straightening it out with his hands, all the while thinking that if it were any worse, IF would probably laugh at him.

As expected, he and the girls were indeed thoroughly soaked by the time they reached the front entrance, and none of them wasted anytime to turn in their respective quests and darted for the locker rooms to dry off. Now, in a situation like this, Haruto, being the gentleman that he is, would offer to turn in all of their quests while the girls went first, but not only did he not feel like going to all the trouble considering that he was wet and more than a little cold due in part of having no jacket... but IF beat him to the punch and offered to turn them in while he goes first. An offer he didn't even hesitate to accept.

("Still though, I have to admit it was kind of cool of her to do that, even if we did just meet.") He mused as he casually strolled through the hall with his hands now in his pockets. Now, in hindsight, it would've been a good idea for them to go to his apartment since it was a lot closer from where they were as opposed to the Guild. While that sounded like a good idea on paper... if it weren't for the implications that comes with it.

He's with two really cute girls, it's raining very hard outside, and he offers for them to stay at his place until it blows over... It doesn't take a genius to figure out what that might imply.

"Yeah, I know I can be pretty good with women, but I don't think I'm _that_ good." While he was at it, he also has to admit that, despite their less than stellar greeting, IF and Compa are in fact pretty good people, and again, quite the pair of lookers.

IF is as stubborn and headstrong as they come, that much is certain, but she's also pretty cool and level-headed and despite lacking in ***ahem*** some areas, her slender frame and flawless skin compliment eachother very well. Compa, while definitely the type to fall for even the most obvious of lies, is a real sweetheart, trusting Haruto enough to not jump to conclusions and even bandaged him when he got slightly injured... and he doesn't even need to comment on her figure. It more than speaks for itself.

In short, they are both definite keepers for any love/wife-seekers out there. Dare he say that they could easily get any husband they want... or wife, depending on their preference. He's not one to judge.

"At any rate, it was real nice meeting them. I wonder if I'll bump into them again anytime soon? Maybe I should at least ask for their phone numbers befo- Hmm?" Just as he was about to step into the main hall, he was brought out of his ramblings when three suspicious looking individuals snuck right past him... and by suspicious, he means three horny looking teenaged boys tip-toeing past him. Turning back to the direction they're going, Haruto easily deduced where they were sneaking to:

The womens locker room.

"Well now..." He turned on his heel, crossed his arms and gave a sly smirk. "Looks like I got myself a few bold ones here." He chuckles as he walked back down the hall, just right behind the three stooges.

Meanwhile, in the womens locker room, at least a dozen or so girls from varying ages, heights, measurements and what have you, simply commune with one another as they change out of their cloths. Some are civilians who are changing from getting soaked from the rain, others being Guild Agents getting ready for the afternoon/evening shift.

In a relatively empty corner of the room, conveniently right next to the exit, stood Compa and IF, who are just in the process of getting out of their drenched clothing, with a few clean towels at the ready, just sitting on top of a smooth, wooden bench just right behind them.

IF groaned in displeasure as she slipped out of her black tank top, revealing her tan sports bra underneath, which was also soaked due to the downpour outside. "Sheesh. That took a lot longer than I thought... ***sigh*** and I even lost my coat along the way." After putting her top in a nearby metal hamper, IF unbuckled her brown belt containing all of her phones, relieved that none of them were damaged either from battle or rainwater. She hooked the belt into a metal hook inside of her locker and then took a seat on the bench before getting to work on taking off her boots. "We probably could've had things done a lot quicker if those Dogoos didn't gank us out of nowhere."

Off to her left side, Compa nodded in agreement. "They reaaally know how to pop up when you don't want them to." She unzipped the tan parka Haruto loaned her and slipped out of it before bringing it to her front view. She gazed at it for a moment, smiling as she thought back to how Haruto helped get those Dogoos off her earlier. "It was a good thing Haruto came when he did, otherwise it would've turn out a lot worse." She hooked the parka onto the metal hook before slipping out of her own fuzzy boots and gently pulled down her long, brown, pink-frilled socks.

IF rolled her eyes and scoffed at the mention of the newcomer. "Don't remind me. I could've taken out those Dogoos no problem." True, while IF does lack in physical strength, her speed and agility could've easily dealt with the Dogoos assaulting Compa had Haruto not arrived.

Compa looked to her friend and pouted. "Aw, don't be like that, Iffy." She places her socks to her right onto the bench as she took a seat right next to IF. "He was nice enough to help us with the Ancient Dragon, and he even gave me his coat to cover up!"

"Yeah, but don't forget that it was his fault that your shirt was torn in the first place." IF rebuttaled.

Compa shook her head. "It was an accident Iffy, and he even said he was sorry. That and he didn't try to peak once while we were changing..." Compa then looked down to the floor in a mix of shame and embarrassment, her cheeks changing into a light red as she poked two index fingers together. "Although, we did end up peaking on him instead."

IF visible flinched as she recalled that blatant fact, all the while her face was almost burning red. Shaking away the embarrassment, IF turned to her side in a huff. "W-W-We were just making sure _he_ didn't peak on _us_! I-It's not like I wanted to see it!"

Compa only looked at IF with pity in her eyes, for even she could tell IF was just making an excuse. As if her own face wasn't enough evidence. ("Iffy is a pervert...") The next moment, her eyes widen as her gaze trailed down to the tan panties she was currently wearing. Wasting no time, she hook both thumbs under IFs panties and seamlessly slid them off her marble legs. "Here you go, Iffy!"

IF turned her head back to Compa to see her presenting IF with the panties she loaned her earlier. "Oh... uh, t-thanks Compa." Hesitantly, IF carefully took her panties back from Compa. Looking down at her own undergarments, her mind trails back to the young man who came to their aid, whether they truly wanted it or not.

Thinking back, there's no doubt in IFs mind that Haruto Kiiryu is, to her, a cocky, laid-back jackass who really likes to show-off... at least for the most part. While his attitude did indeed rub the Guild Agent the wrong way, his actions on the other hand seemed to contradict some of that. He probably heard them getting ganged-up by the Dogoos but didn't hesitate to assist them. He apologized for what he did and even gave Compa his own jacket to cover her modesty. Even when she had to do the embarrassing act of giving Compa her own underwear, he didn't even try to peak, not once, when normally men would jump at the first opportunity to see a girl naked. That and while she was embarrassed and even a little ashamed of it, he really didn't seem all that bothered about getting peaked on, and even went as far as joking about it... which was kind of in poor taste, but still.

If it weren't for his current demeanor, she would've taken him for a pure-bred gentlemen, which are actually pretty hard to find among the male populous of Gameindustri. Helps that he doesn't come off as a dense idiot that, for some reason, girls just fall head over heels for right, left and center. Indeed, while it pains her to admit it, there's a lot more to this one than meets the eye.

But what really has her curious is how he handled himself in battle. While the Dogoos were one thing, for even a small child could kill one if they tried, but when they confronted the Ancient Dragon, he still had that relaxed air about him and even seemed a little excited to fight such a dangerous monster. He even looked like he was having a fun time fighting it, and even when it managed to smack him hard into a tree, he merely shrugged off his own injuries. It was almost as if-

("He was just playing around.") IF raised a brow as she came to that conclusion. Either he lacks a proper sense of danger like a certain pudding-loving idiot she knows... or he may have been holding back the whole time. ("Haruto Kiiryu... just who the hell is he?")

"Um, Iffy...?" IF turned her head to the sound of Compas voice. It would seem to her that Compa may be struggling with her more than damp bra. "Can you help me with this, please? ...I think my boobies grew."

"What, again?" IF sighed. "Alright, give me a sec." Deciding to set aside her thoughts, IF scooted a little closer to Compa and got to work on unhooking her bra. As she does, IF got a better look at Compas breasts from behind and did notice that her bra is starting to look a little tight. ("Man, at this rate, she's going to have a hard time finding bras that actually fit her... then again, Lady Vert doesn't exactly were one, so-") Catching herself mid-thought, IF shook her head and straightened herself out. ("Get your head out of the gutter, IF! Just focus on helping Compa change out of these!")

Unbeknownst to them, or to any girl in the room, the door was slightly ajar from the outside, and three sets of eyes were scanning the whole room form top to bottom. Outside the locker room, three teenaged boys were quietly on their hands and knees, peaking through the door and thoroughly enjoying the forbidden garden they are gazing upon with goofy and lecherous smiles, with their attention directed at the pink-haired.

"Alright, this is it boys... the moment of truth!" The one in the middle, presumably the leader, whispered as IF finished unhooking Compas bra as the shoulder straps fell.

"Oh, sweet Purple Heart. I'm finally about to see nurse Compas boobs." The one on the left spoke quietly.

"C'mon girl, c'mon... Show me them titties!" The one on the right said impatiently.

Quickly enough, their patients paid off as Compa slipped out of her bra, breathing a sigh of relief and throwing it into a nearby hamper as the three perverts gaze upon her voluptuous mounds in all of their glory.

"Oooooohh! Niiiiiice~." The leader practically drooled as he got more than his fair share of the eye-candy in front of them.

"Aw~ They're even more beautiful then I imagined." The soft-spoken one merely took in the sight as if it were a gift from the Goddesses themselves.

"Yeheheah! Now that's what I'm talkin' about!" The rowdy one thoroughly enjoyed what he saw as blood began drizzling down from his nose. "Man, she's got it all; tits, ass ***sharp inhale***... tits."

"Yep, you got that right, pal..." The leader said, his gaze trailing off to IF. "Hey guys, take a look at her friend over there."

"Hmm?" The other two directed their attention to the Guild Agent and sees that she is in the process of taking off her shorts, and has already taken off her bra, revealing her small, but shapely breasts. "Huh. IFs aren't really that big, but they are pretty supple."

"Hell yeah, and look at those rock-hard nipples she got goin'! Man, you can poke a guys eye out with that shit!"

"Maybe they became that way due to the rain outside?"

"Well, you got us. All that matters is-" The leader was interrupted when the trio sees IF pull down her shorts... and instead of seeing some sexy underwear, they get a full view of the brunettes bare pussy. "Sweet mercy! She wasn't wearing anything underneath!?"

"Aw, so that's what it looks like..." The quiet one stared intently into the Guild Agents nether region, all the while drooling as he looked at the color of her lower lips and even noticing that she may have recently shaved.

"Man, that is so hoooooooot! Make you wonder if she goes commando all of the time? I mean you can't really tell with those muthafuckin' shorts in the way!"

"Oooohhh! Nice idea, dude!" The leader complimented the rowdy one. "Alright, now who is next..." The perverted trio scan the room once more, taking their sweet time looking at the bountiful beauties all over the room.

"Hey, how about that one over there?" The quiet one pointed to the far-right corner of the room. There stood a fair-skinned girl with orange eyes, boyish, rusty brown-red hair, and a shapely figure with a perfectly-shaped butt and a pair of C-cups. She was currently wiping herself down with a blue and white towel, wearing nothing but a pair of brown, thigh-high socks.

"DAAAYYYYYUUUUUUMM! She is so foooiiiine!" The rowdy one grinned from ear to ear, now sporting a noticeable erection through his pants as he takes his time eyeing the red-head. She then turned to their general direction as she began wiping her back, exposing herself for them to see. "Whew, she got them sweet curves in all the right places-" As soon as he takes a look at her vagina though, he immediately took notice of the small, red bush accompanying it. "Aw hell no!" He reeled his head and scrunched his face in disgust. "That's just nasty! Girl, shave your shit!"

The leader simply rolled his eye and turned to his compatriot with a sigh. "Dude, are you going to act like that everytime you see a girl with hair down their? Seriously, everytime you see that, you act like you got hit in the face with Dogoo Jelly."

"Well I can't help it, man! There are just some things that don't belong, and to me, that kinda hair does NOT belong on a womans body!"

The quiet one sighed as the other two began to bicker. "With how much noise we're making, I'm surprised we haven't got caught yet."

"You'd think so, right?"

"Huh?" The trio snapped into attention upon hearing a fourth voice coming from right behind them. All three of them look back and see Haruto standing tall and smiling at them.

"Hello, boys." He greets with a salute. "So, what's going on in this neck of the woods?"

The leader straightened himself out and turned his head to face Haruto. "Well, I'm glad you asked, good sir. Me and my fellow men here were just enjoying the view of Celestia." He gestures to the cracked door. "Would you like to take a look." He then elbows the rowdy one. "Hey, dude, make some space."

"Wha?" He looks at the leader as if he grew a second head. "Hell no, man! this is _my_ spot! No way am I lettin' this sweaty bastard here!"

"C'mon! He's a guy like the rest of us, so no harm, right?"

"Well, I'm gonna hurt you if you don't shut yo ass up!"

"Guys, could you please keep it down? The girls might here you two..."

Haruto just chuckles softly and shook his head at the whole spectacle before him. "A kind offer, but I must decline." He steps forward, the trio too caught up in their argument to notice his approach. "... But, seeing as you three are enjoying the show so much, how about I throw in a little treat for you all."

"... Huh?" All three of them turn their heads to Haruto.

"Yeah, a special set of tickets, compliments of yours truly." The dirty-blondes eyebrows lifted cheerfully, in an ironic sense of danger towards the trio. "Front row seats, the best the house has to offer!"

A blink of the eyes was the first of their responses to the mans words. With an exchange of glances between him and his fellow compatriots, the leader of the pack turned to Haruto. "What the hell does tha-"

None of them had any time to react before Haruto kicked all three of them forward, straight into the womens locker room as they all fell flat on their faces. The quiet one meekly rubbed his face and the rowdy one shook his head as he sweared. The leader brushed it off and turned his head back to the door and yelled, "Hey, what was that for ya- huh?" but when he looked, Haruto had seemingly disappeared. "Hmm? where the hell did he go?"

"Uh, boss... we have a problem!" the meek one called out, his voice was audibly shaking.

The leader rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Ugh, what now!?" He turned his head back to see what was wrong... only to be met with several sets of eyes glaring daggers at them. Some of the girls froze in shock, while the rest plainly looked severely enraged, with IF already having her qatars out and ready to skin them. "... Ohh shit."

"Oh shit is right! He fucked us, man!" The rowdy one hollered as all three of them were sweating bullets at their current predicament.

Without skipping a beat, the trio heard the door behind them slammed shut as they look behind and see the red-head from earlier, now wearing yellow panties, a white tank top with a brown belt-like segment on the top and bottom, and wielding a longsword with a dragon-like design, giving them all a stare that would even make a dangerous monster quake. "You guys must have a ton of guts barging in here like this!" She then brandishes her sword with both hands, ready to slice them all in two. "If I lop your heads off, don't take it personally... though it is your own fault!"

The leader put his hands in front defensively, wearing a nervous smile as the girls surround them. "H-Hey, hold on now. Let's be reasonable here. This is just all just a huge misunde-"

"Save it!" IF interrupted harshly. "We don't wanna hear any crap coming out of your mouth! Compa, you ready!?"

Compa still maintained her cheerful smile, but an ominous shadow was cast over her eyes as she reached for her purse and pulled out her syringe, scaring them all shift on site. "Ready Iffy!"

The rowdy one points at Compas incredibly large needle with a shaky finger. "Hey, is that a muthafuckin' giant ass needle? ... You got a muthafuckin' giant ass needle!? ... A GIANT ASS NEEDLE IN A MUTHAFUCKIN' PURSE!?" He cowered as they inch closer to them. "Waitwaitwaitwaitwait! Can't we just talk about this!? Y'all ain't going to talk none, give the pure maiden speech!?"

"Words are cheap when it comes to perverts like you!" A girl with brown hair tied in a ponytail said with indignation.

"Yeah, let's get them girls!" Another girl with pink hair and boxing gloves said, sounding a war cry as every last female in the room charged at the pervert trio.

The three of them were completely defenseless as they all tore into them. The meek one cried out in agony, the rowdy one sweared up a storm, and the leader was left silent as he was mercilessly pounded. Laughter could be heard from outside the locker room, but it was drowned out by the boys yelps of pain and the girls furious screaming.

"SHIIIIIIT!"

"OUCHIES!"

"TACOS!"

Soon enough, all three of them were launched out of the locker room and straight into the opposing wall, their own bodies making an imprint onto the metal wall before they peeled off and landed onto the cold floor with a thud. IF came to the door and slammed it shut with a "Hmph!", leaving the three out in the hall, battered, bruised and horribly maimed.

"We... really should've... seen this... coming..." The meek one whispered before falling unconscious.

"... Yeah... but it was... worth it." The leader followed suit as he gave his companions a thumbs up.

The rowdy one slowly tried to move his head, but every nerve in his body was screaming, and he was too weak to even get up. "We're... the hell.. is that... jackass?"

As if answering his question, he vaguely heard clapping sounds nearby. Pushing through the pain, he turned his head to his side. Sure enough, Haruto was there, not even a few feet away from the door, clapping to the trio, all the while looking very proud of himself. "I got to say gentlemen, that was the guttiest move I've ever seen... too bad it failed."

With whatever willpower he had left, the rowdy one lifted up a shaking fist to Haruto, then stuck out his middle finger as he whispered, "You... dick." before finally collapsing fully onto the floor.

Haruto chuckled lightly as he shook his head. "What a bunch of punks." He brought to fingers to his lips and gave them a peck before bringing them up to give the unconscious boys a peace sign. "Sweet dreams, boys... Hope you enjoyed the show." Satisfied with his handiwork and have nothing else to do, he turned around and head back down the hall with a small grin and his hands in his pockets.


	4. Prologue Part 4

**TerraDimension Neptunia- Gray Advent Prologue: Part 4**

Quickly arriving in the Guilds main hall and popping his neck along the way, Haruto casually strolls up to Mikis desk as she was busy on her computer. No doubt she was busy all day due to the storm. He rests an elbow onto the desk as greets her playfully. "Hello, beautiful. How's life treating you?"

Recognizing his voice, Miki smiled as she turned in her chair to face him. "Hey, Haru. I've been almost waist-deep in work, but other than that I'm doing fine." She raised an eyebrow and gave him a mischievous smile. "Can't say the same for you. Iffy already told me how you all got drenched."

"Ah." Haruto exclaimed, catching on quick when Miki used the same nickname Compa did. "So you know eachother?"

"Kinda. We talk every now and then when she and Compa come to accept quests. So I guess you could say we're at least friends to some extent."

"From the way I figure it, you seem to be friends with just about everyone you meet... Mi-Mi."

Miki was taken by surprise for a moment, but giggled soon after. "Let me guess; you heard that from Compa?" Haruto nodded. "Yeah, that girl pretty much gives any person she likes a cute nickname."

Haruto shrugs his shoulders. "That explains the name 'Iffy' then... although to be honest it doesn't really suit IF." He looks at Miki with one eye open. "I mean she doesn't look _that_ iffy to me."

"Pfft! Heheheahahaha!" Miki held her gut with both arms as she laughed almost uncontrollably in her desk chair. "OK, that's a good one!"

Haruto took a bow with a satisfied smirk. "Thank you, thank you." He stands back up straight and at attention. "Anyways, about those quests..."

After calming down from her laughing fit, Miki put a hand in front of her and waved. "No need to worry. I already sent all the credits and other reward to your inventory. Everything should be their."

Deciding to check just to be sure, Haruto dug his phone out of his pocket and checked his account on there. After sifting through and signing in, he checked the current amount he has and was glad to see he now has more than he had previously. "Alright, that's one thing settled..." He signs out and stuffs his phone back in his pocket. "Now, before I forget Miki, do you know if that package has come in today?"

"Package?... Oh, right!" Miki pushed backwards on her chair, bent down and scrounged around underneath her desk. Within a minute, she pulled out a large, yet thin box and put it on top of her desk. "It just came in this morning, right after you left." She lightly pushed it forward towards Haruto. "Go ahead, open it. I have a feeling you'll _reeaaallly_ like what's in store for you." A big grin came across her face.

"No need to tell me twice." Haruto grab a hold of the package with one hand and carefully taking the tape off with the other. Setting the used tape aside, he opened up the package and smiled happily as he takes out the contents and held it in front of him in full view. It is a stone-gray, faux leather bomber jacket with a blue interior, a hoodie with white fur in the interior, and a brown leather belt strapped with tiger strips diagonally across the chest area, all securely held in plastic shrink-wrap. "Aww yeah, now that's what I'm talking about."

Wasting no time, Haruto tore off all the plastic wrap in one swift motion and put it back in the box as he brought the article of clothing up for a more thorough inspection.

"Sharp Edges, Fine Physique, Tough Leather, Cool Design... perfect for fighting _and_ looking good while doing it." He flips it over to check the back. "Although I think I am gonna have a bit of a problem when it comes to slash attacks, but eh, I guess I can work around that." Miki could only smile at his almost child-like excitement, closing her eyes in amusement. "Good color palette, a hood for personal use, big pockets... Yep, this is better than I was hoping for."

Slinging his new coat over his shoulder, Haruto turned around and walking a few steps away from Mikis desk, then whipped his coat around in front, shaking it around to make it less stiff from the shrink-wrap. After about a minute, he unhooked the belt and carefully put the coat on. Putting both arms in proper, straightening it out and putting the belt back on, Haruto looked down to himself and was pleased with what he sees.

"So..." He turns back to Miki and put a hand to his hip. "How do I look?"

"Like a real heart-stopper." Miki smiled as she looked at him from head to toe.

"Is that a fact?" Harutos eyebrows perked up, pleasantly surprised.

"Yeah. With a look like that, I'm certain you'd be target numero uno out on the field." Miki told him. "Just try not to get torn to shreds by any dangerous monsters out there... oh, and any other men too, if possible. You know they hate guys like you, right?" A coy smirk graced her features. "And we certainly can't forget about the ladies. They'll really have to look themselves over twice when they're around you."

Haruto could only reply with a shaky smile. He always knew that Miki was a real flirt, even more so than he'll probably ever be, but even then he couldn't help but find her claims to be a bit too flattering. "Y-You're joking... right?" Miki shook her head with a smile. Shrugging off some of the awkwardness, Haruto took to whipping a thumb across his chin, turning to look to the floor with closed eyes. "Well, if I can strike _that_ much of a presence, then I guess it does its job well."

"Guys aren't the only ones who like to throw compliments every now and then." Miki stuffed the used tape and wrap back into the box and put it back under her desk to be thrown out later. "Now that you have your new coat, there's something important I need to tell you... Something I know you'll love."

Raising an eyebrow, Haruto walked back to Miki, placed both arms flat on top of her desk and leaned in forward. "I'm listening."

"Glad I have your undivided attention." Miki teased as she raised a finger. "Do you remember how much you've been complaining on not having an actual job?"

"Yeah..." He scratched the back of his head in minor annoyance. He had applied to many jobs in the past couple of years, but thanks to ASIC and the lack of Shares in each nation, finding proper employment is easier said than done, to say the least. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, you see, because both of our CPUs have been missing for almost 3 years now, our Oracle, Histoire has been pretty much been running herself ragged just to keep Planeptune up and running." Miki leans back in her chair and places both of her hands on her lap. "Sure, she's been doing a good job, hell she's practically Planeptunes real leader at this point, but it looks like it's starting to become a little much for her. That said, she's been looking to hire someone to be her assistant, to help her with her duties as Oracle and keep Planeptune in top shape."

"An Oracles Assistant, eh?" Haruto tilted his head. "What does that involve? Any other details I should know?"

"Well, for the pay, it's like 2000 credits per hour (roughly $20 in real life), for about 45 to 50 hours per week... which now that I think about it, is a heck of a lot more than what I get." Miki mused with a sideways glance.

"Damn!" Haruto now has his arms crossed, his interest piqued. "2000 credit per hour _and_ 45 to 50 hours... Now that's a lot of cash. A hell of a lot more than I make accepting quests or payment from a contractor." He brings his hand to his chin in thought for a moment. "Just to be sure though, is this job full-time or part-time?"

Miki shrugs her shoulders. "I honestly don't know. You're probably going to have to ask someone else about that... then again, my job is considered part-time so-" Her eyes widened somewhat mid-sentence before closing in a tight fit. "Hey, let me finish!"

Putting his hands up in defense, Haruto just closed his eyes. "Sorry, sorry." He said in a serious tone. "You were saying?"

A small 'Hmph' came to her as Miki returned to her normal demeanor. Haruto is thankful that, while she is quick to shoot off, at least she was also quick to cool down as well. "Anyways, as for your duties, half the job is basically what you've already been doing for the Guild for years; accepting quests and turning them in... only difference is that when you submit them this way, you would actually have a hand in raising Planeptunes shares."

Harutos eyes narrowed and brought one hand to his chin in thought. ("Raising Planeptunes Shares, huh? The shares come from our faith in the CPUs, and are an important asset both to them and their nations. Our very prayers give them strength. The more Shares one nation has, the stronger the Goddess herself is. Not to mention the nation itself would have more of a chance to defend itself and draw more people to it.") He mused to himself. ("So not only is it a well-payed gig, but I can basically make a direct influence in Planeptunes current state? That's unreal.")

Deciding to act as if it didn't matter that much to him, he relaxed his eyes and allowed his hand to fall to his side as he put the other onto his hip. "Alright, what's the other half then?"

"Paper work..." Miki speaks plainly with dull eyes. "Lots and lots of paper work."

"... Hmm, doesn't sound too bad to me." Haruto shrugged. "Welp, thanks for telling me Miki. Guess I-"

"No need." Haruto stood puzzled as Miki continued. "I actually already turned in your resume and recommended you myself the day the job was posted. And guess what..." Miki leaned forward to him, her face brightening up considerably. "You, Haruto Kiiryu, have an interview with the Lady Oracle herself, first thing tomorrow at 8 AM."

Harutos eyes widened before breaking out a wide grin. "You serious?"

Miki nodded happily. "Yep. If you can make a good impression with her, then you're basically set."

"Hehehe..." Haruto pushed himself off her desk and walked back a few paces. "Hehehehe, hahahahaha! Yeeeeeaaaaaahh! Wooohohooooo!" Then he hollered and pranced about as if he just won the lottery. "Alright! This is awesome!" He turned back to Miki, excitement and gratitude ever present on his features. "Aw, Miki, I definitely owe you big time for this one! Aha, if you weren't already hooked up, I'd kiss you right now!"

"Oh." Miki was left surprised at Harutos proclamation. However, she soon after gave him a seductive smile as she placed a finger on her lips and kept her eyes half-open. "Is that right? Well... " She trailed off as she leaned further forward with one arm under her chest, putting a lot of emphasis on her ample bosom. "My boyfriend is out of town today, sooooo, for a limited time only..." She slowly licked her lips with an alluring gaze. "... These lips are free~"

"Hmm..." Haruto brought one hand to his hip and the other to his chin as he pondered. "A tempting offer..." He then waved it off. "But I think I'll pass."

Miki frowned at him disappointingly. "Well, you're no fun."

Haruto crossed his arms. "Well a man should never try to steal another mans girl, else he'd be begging to get his ass kicked... and no offense Miki, but a minute with you is not worth having my ass Dragon-Kicked all the way across Gameindustri." He then shook his head and sighed. "Seriously, for a guy like him, your BF sure does get jealous easy."

"Tell me about it." Miki sighed as she leaned back into her chair. "Don't get me wrong, I love him... but you know a girls got a serious problem if she has to flirt with other men just to get her dense boyfriend to pay attention." She rubbed her head as she closed her eyes and gave an exhausted sigh. "Doesn't help that we've both been pretty busy at work lately. I'm getting stuck with longer shifts and he's been out on business for a while, so..."

"You've just been frustrated... in more way than one, I imagine." Haruto shook his head in a mockingly dramatic fashion. "That's just sad."

Despite his actions, the blue-haired clerk could tell he was genuine with his words. "Exactly!" Miki exclaimed, before clearing her throat and straightening herself out. "Anyways, enough about me. You should probably get going now. You're going to need all the rest you can get for the interview tomorrow."

Haruto turned to the entrance, and through the glass he could see that the storm has calmed down considerably. "Eh, you're probably right. I should call it a day... Oh, but before I forget, what do you think I should wear to the interview?"

"Well... " Miki turned back to her computer and looked through it, bringing up a private window with her email and clicking on one that is from, much to her surprise, Histoire herself. "According to the email I got, you're free to wear anything as long as it isn't too revealing or risque. You've also got this in your email as well, so..."

"Good deal. I'll be sure to check it in my spare time. For now, I gotta hit the trail before the second wave comes." Haruto turned on his heel and made his way to the exit as he waved to Miki. "Catch ya later."

"Wait!"

"Hmm?"

Haruto stops in his tracks as he hears a high-pitched voice calling to him. He turns to where it came from to see a familiar pink-haired girl down the hall he came from, sporting a fresh pair of cloths that look like exactly what she was wearing earlier, minus the shirt being torn. She skid to a stop in front of him and supported herself on her knees, taking her time to catch her breath. She must've been running in a hurry if she was this tired.

Raising an eyebrow, Haruto turned to face her fully. "Hey... Compa, was it?" He asked, and Compa nodded in response between breaths. "What's up? There something wrong?"

Taking a few deeper breaths to calm down, Compa pushed herself up off her knees and faced him with her hands folded against her chest. "Good... I manage to catch up before you left." Compa said, taking another breath to collect herself. "You forgot something, and I really needed to bring it back."

"Bring something back? ... Hey, if this is about the coat-"

Compa shook her head furiously before he could finish. "No, it's not that!" She then reached into her purse and pulled out a small, metal object with a chain attached to it."This." She then presents it to Haruto, who's eyes went wide as he recognized it almost immediately.

"My locket!" He picks it up gently from Compas hand and held it by the chain in front of his face in wonder. "Where the hell did you get this?"

"Well, when me and Iffy were changing in the girls room, it fell out of the jacket you gave me."

 **Flashback**

After the girls took care of the perverted trio peeping on them, IF and Compa went back to their business. Discarding her damp cloths into a nearby hamper, Compa reached into her locker for a fresh pair of underwear, her arm brushing past the jacket Haruto gave her. Just as she was about to grab them, Compa heard a small, clunking sound in her locker.

Looking down, Compa sees a small, metal object sitting at the bottom of her locker. "What's this?" She gently picked it up and inspected it. It was a small, silver locket with a purple gemstone in the middle. "Aw, this looks so pretty."

"Hmm?" IF looked to her friend and sees her eyeing the locket like any other piece of jewelry. "Hey, Compa, what do you have there?" She asked as she put on a fresh pair of panties and walked right next to her pink-haired friend.

"Oh..." Compa snapped into attention, looking to IF before back to the locket. "I don't really know... I heard something fall from my locker and then I found this." She then looked to the jacket hanging off the wall of her locker. "Maybe it fell out of Harutos jacket?"

IF crossed her arms. "Then it's probably his. He must've forgot it when he loaned you his jacket... you might want to give it back to him if he's still here."

Upon hearing IFs words, Compa snapped upright with wide eyes as if struck by lightning. "Oh! You're right, Iffy! I need to give this back before it's too late!" Wasting no time, Compa grabbed every article of fresh clothing and dressed herself at almost record-breaking time, putting the locket in her purse and made her way out the locker room.

"W-Wait, Compa!" By the time IF called out to her, Compa had already kicked the door open and ran down the hall, hoping to catch Haruto before he already left.

 **Present**

"Ah, so that's what happened... well, it's a good thing you found me when you did, otherwise I would've freaked out looking for this." He lightly tosses the locket and grabbed it in his hand before stuffing it into his new coat. "Guess that makes two things I owe you, huh?"

"Fweh? Two things?" Compa tilted her head.

"Yep." Haruto raised two fingers in front of him. "One for patching me up, and one for bringing back my locket... make it three and I just might take you out on a date to pay you back, ahaha."

"Wha!? A d-d-date!?" Compas whole face flushed beet red as steam began puffing out of her ears. Her eyes darts everywhere nervously before settling to the floor as she poked her two index fingers together."I-I don't know what to say... t-this is all happening so fast."

Haruto snickered a little before waving his hand. "Aw, don't get so flustered. I was just teasing."

Compa looked back up in surprised, but soon frowned at him and puffed her cheeks. "Hey, that's just mean! You should play with a girls heart like that!"

"Hahahaha! My bad, honest." He apologized in between his laughter before giving her an appreciative smile. "Seriously though, thanks for giving this back to me. I probably would've tore ass across Planeptune if I went home without it."

"You're welcome." Compa replied with a beaming smile. "I'm just glad I gave it back to you, Haruto." He nodded in response, as Compa took another look at him, now just noticing his new piece of clothing as she looked up and down. "Hmm? Where did you get that?"

"Oh, this? I got it in the mail just now." He jabs a thumb at the desk. "You can thank Miki for giving it to me." Compa looked back down to where the bluenette was stationed. Looking up from her computer, she sees Compa from across the hall. She smiled and waved, and the nurse kindly returned the gesture.

"Anyhow..." Compa turns her attention back to Haruto, who gestures to himself to her with a smirk. "What do you think?"

"Oh. Umm..." She looks down as she held her right forearm with her left hand, blushing lightly as she tries to find the right words. taking a deep breath, she looks to him and says, "It... really looks good on you."

"You think so?" Compa nods in response, earning her a wink from Haruto. "Hey thanks." He then inspects Compa from head to toe, making sure not to linger too longer on her sizable bust. "And I got to say, you look a lot better when you're not topless. That sweater really suits you."

"Aw, that's so sweet, ehehe. Thank you."

"No problem." Haruto reaches into his coat pocket for his phone and checks the time, seeing that it's almost 4 pm. "Anyways, I better hit the trail before the rains comes back for round 2." He turns to the sliding glass doors of the Guild and waved at Compa. "See ya around."

"OK, bye! Be careful out there!" The pinkette waved back as the young man made his exit. "Hmm... he really doesn't seem like a bad person. In fact, he's actually really friendly."

"Hey, Compa!" Compa was brought out of her musings as she heard the voice of IF coming from the hall she came from. Turning her head, she saw the brown-haired Guild Agent, now wearing a fresh set of cloths complete with a new jacket that was identical to the old on, running out from the hall and stopping right in front of her, taking a few shallow breaths to recover before speaking. "Haa... Haa... Geez, you really know how to run... anyways, are you OK? You didn't trip on the way down the hall, did you?"

"Oh, no need to worry, Iffy. I'm alright."

"Good." IF sighed in relief. "Did you give him that locket back?"

"Yep! I caught up with Haruto on his way out and gave it back to him." Compa explained.

"Well, at least that's settled. Although..." IF narrowed her eyes in suspicion. "He didn't do or say anything weird, did he?"

Compa tilted her head. "Hmm? What do you mean, Iffy."

IF lightly face-palmed at her friends question. Sometimes Compa can be a bit too innocent for her own good. "I mean was he doing anything perverted? Checking out your body, flirting with you... that kinda stuff."

Compas cheeks began to flush once more. "N-No, he wasn't."

IF stared at her as Compa stuttered. "Really? You sure?"

"Yes, really, he didn't do anything! He thanked me for giving his locket back and left. He even complemented me."

IF crossed her arms and raised a dubious brow."... He complemented you on your boobs, didn't he?"

Compa shook her head in response, her face getting hotter and hotter as time went on. "No! He was complementing my sweater. He even said I looked better when I wasn't topless!" She shouted, but quickly realized what she said and covered her mouth with both hands.

"Wha?" Now IF was confused as she unfolded her arms and put a hand on her hip. "Wait... did he really say 'you look better when you're _not_ topless?'" IF inquired, putting extra emphasis into her question. Compa let her hands fall back to her side as she gave IF a shy nod. "Seriously?" Compa nodded again. "That's... odd."

"Well, you wouldn't be the first to say that, Iffy."

"Bwah!" IF jumped back a bit as another voice suddenly spoke up right beside her. Turning around, she sees Miki standing at least 1 foot away from her and Compa. "Miki, where the hell did you come from!?" IF patted her chest, attempting to calm her rapidly beating heart after that small jump-scare.

"From my desk, duh." Miki stated the obvious. "You two look like you were having an interesting conversation, so I'd thought I'd join in."

"Well, next time, don't just sneak up on us OK? Ugh ...You nearly gave me a heart-attack there."

"Yeah, my bad Iffy." Miki chuckled nervously as she scratched the back of her head. "That aside... you two were talking about Haru just now, right?"

"Haru?" Both girls say in unison. Compa and IF look to eachother then to Miki. "So you do know him?" IF asked.

"Uh-huh." Miki gladly replied. "We've been long time friends ever since he started taking jobs from the Guild, back when he was just a newbie fighter and I just started out here."

"Huh. That seems kinda convenient." IF noted, but then something just came to her mind. "Wait, Miki... how long have you been listening?"

"How long?" Miki curtly put a finger to her chin in thought before answering. "Hmm, since Compa came barreling from the hall. Why?"

"Wha!?" Compa blushed up a storm, coming to the sudden realization that Miki was listening in on them the whole time. "You heard everything!?"

Miki playfully stuck her tongue out. "Yep! Every word." She shifted her gaze to IF. "You really should've seen it Iffy. Haru really put the moves on Compa. Heck, her face was as red as a beet."

"Wait, what!?" Hearing this, IFs eyes widen as she came to the worst possible conclusion "So he did do something!? That perv!"

"Naw, he was just making some small talk." Miki waved off. "In all seriousness though, while Haru can be kind of a tease, he really isn't that kind of guy, so no need to worry Iffy."

"Hmph, alright, if you're so sure Miki, prove it." IF demanded. She obviously wasn't going to change her mind until she saw some proof.

"Proof?" Miki raised her eyebrows in surprise, but then gave a confident smirk as she put a hand on her hip. "Well then, I got just the thing... Come on over to my desk." Miki turned around and gestured the two girls to her desk. Following her lead, Miki sat back down in her chair and began looking through some of the security footage through her computer as the two girls stood behind her.

"Uh, Mi-Mi? Are you sure this is OK?"

"Yeah Miki. I don't know what you're trying to do, but you could get into some serious trouble for this." IF pointed out.

"In any other circumstance, yeah I would. But you're a member of the Guild and Compa is a close friend of yours, so there shouldn't be any problem." Miki shrugged off the comment as she sifted through one camera at a time before she settled on the one positioned down the hall, showing all three of them a good view of both locker room doors on each side of the hall. The three of them look to the time on the corner of the screen, and it shows that the footage was taken a little while ago, before those three perverts came barging into the girls locker room. About a minute in, Haruto walks out of the mens locker room straightening out his hair and strolls down the hall, out of the cameras peripheral view.

"OK, he just walked out. Now what?" IF inquired, completely lost on what exactly she was suppose to be seeing.

"Give him a minute." Miki insisted. They stared at the screen for a few more minutes, and on cue, three figures made their appearance.

"Those are the boys from before!" Compa points out, as the perverted trio came sneaking up to the girls locker room door, crouched down, and quietly nudged the door open. The three of them had varying reactions to what they saw in their: one stared in intrigue, one was drooling with a happy, open smile, and the last one had a wide grin, a nosebleed, and much to IFs disgust, a noticeable erection.

IF rolled her eyes at the scene while Compa was blushing furiously, wondering how long they're going to watch these fools watching them undress. IF was about to say something, but then a certain someone came back to the scene. "Huh? It's him." IF eyed Haruto as he strolled to the trio and stood right behind them. "What the hell is he up to?"

"Oh trust me Iffy, you're gonna love this. Hehehehe." Miki chuckled, obviously knowing what is going to happen next. A minute passed, and the trio turned their heads back and spot Haruto. They looked to have conversed for a bit before the trio went back to their peeping... Only for Haruto to Spartan Kick them straight into the girls locker room and ran a bit down the hall before hugging the wall to avoid detection, leaving only his head visible to the camera.

"He kicked them in there!?" IF screamed as she and Compa stood with white eyes as the video footage shows the locker room door slammed shut.

"Yep! Those boys never saw it coming!" Miki gave a thumbs ups to the video as Haruto put a hand to his forehead and laughed out loud. "Way to go, Haru!" Soon enough, the door shot open as the three boys were launched out of the locker room and straight into the wall. As IF slammed the door shut, they saw Haruto clapping to them as they fell unconscious one by one, the last one apparently flipping him off. Haruto shook his head and gave them a peace sign before walking away.

Miki pressed on a key to pause the footage and turned in her seat to IF and Compa, both of whom are very much surprised with what they just saw. "So... what do you girls think now?"

"... I really don't know what to say." IF responded. "I mean if he just joined in on them that'd be one thing... but I sure as hell wasn't expecting him to kick them in there!" Her eyebrows V'd down in minor irritation, one ticking slightly. "Sheesh, that guy really likes to showoff. So cocky and snarky-"

"Yeah, well, that's Haru for ya. While he does really seem that way, he can actually be pretty chivalrous... at least in his own way." Miki closed her eyes and gestured to the duo as she continued to speak in a Matter-of-Fact tone. "Besides, you girls were going to catch them in the act eventually anyways, so he probably thought he'd lend you all a hand."

"Um..." Compa piped up, gaining the other twos attention. "Why couldn't he just pull them away from there, so no one would get hurt?"

"Hmm... That's actually a good question, Compa." IF turns to the blue haired girl. "Miki, you know him more than we do, so any ideas."

"Pfft, easy. That sort of thing just isn't his style." Miki waved off. "Sure, he could've dealt with them himself, or even got security to kick them out, but he always preferred to give most bad guys some much needed karma."

"Karma, huh?" IF raised a brow as she folded her arms. "I take it he believes in that kind of stuff?"

"Well, let me tell you something Haru told me a while back; "Karma can be a bitch, but she can also be your best friend if you can get on her good side." Y'know what I mean?"

"Yeah, I guess I follow you." IF sighed, putting a hand to her forehead as she felt a slight headache coming on. "Geez, I've only just met the guy and already he's giving me a headache. Just who is he?"

"Yeah, I know you don't like those kind of men Iffy, but trust me when I say that he's actually a pretty cool guy once you get to know him... especially since you're all going to be working together soon."

"Huh...?" IF went stiff and Compa stood confused as they stared at the bluenette as if she grew a second head. "Wait, Miki. What are you talking about?"

"Well..." Miki responds casually. "Do you remember that new job opening for Histoires assistant? The one you two helped her set up?" Miki then crossed her legs and put one arm under her chest as she wryly smiled at the duo. "Take a guess who's going to be the interviewee tomorrow?"

They both stood still in silence as their brains tried to decipher what Miki is trying to say. Soon enough, like an alarm clock going off in their heads, they both stood wide-eyed in shock as IF raised a shaking finger."Y-You don't mean..."

"Yep! It's Haruto!" Miki responded happily.

"..."

"..."

"EEEEEEEEEEEHHHHHHHHHHH!?" They both shouted an ear-splitting scream right in Mikis face.

"OW~! Hey, not so loud!" Miki whined as she covered her ears, her eardrums practically ringing from the sudden high volume.

"Are you kidding me!? Him!? He's the one Histoire is interviewing tomorrow!?" IF was practically screaming at this point. Seriously, what were the odds of meeting a potential ally and co-worker a day before he's interviewed by the Oracle!?

"T-That's a really big coincidence!" Compa pointed out. As soon as she said that, Miki giggled mischievously with her mouth closed.

"That laugh just now..." Picking up on it, IF glared straight at her as she would an enemy. "Miki... did you actually lead him to us?"

"Who, me?" Miki pointed to herself, showing mock surprise. "No~. I didn't do that. He actually picked that quest all on his own... although, I did tell him about you two, soooooo."

"...You did that on purpose, didn't you?"

"Uh-huh."

IF took a deep breath, preparing to bite Mikis head off... but then exhaled in an attempt to calm down. Getting mad now seems a little pointless as she and Compa would've met him either way, and while she hate to admit it, especially in front of Miki, what Haruto did to those three was, in her opinion, actually kind of cool. Add that on top of some of the other things he did for them, she at least acknowledges that Haruto Kiiryu is not like most of the other guys she and Compa came across. Even so...

"*Sigh* You're the salt of the earth, Miki Makushiba." IF said irritably. ("Man, she's just as bad as Nep.")

"Love you too, Iffy!" Miki replied with a smile. "Anyways, I gotta get back to work. If you two plan on heading home, you might want to go now before it-" Miki casts a gaze to the front entrance... only to see that the storm has already came back at full force. "Oh, too late."

Seeing this, the duo simply sighed; Compa was downtrodden at the fact that she's going to get soaked again after _just_ putting on a fresh set of cloths, and IF was now too tired to complain about anything right now. "What do we do now, Iffy?"

"We'll take my bike and hope we don't get too drenched. Seriously, this can't get any worse."

"Knock on wood."

"Quiet, you." IF scolded Miki, who just shrugged her shoulders turned back into her chair and typed away on her computer. With all of that said and done, IF and Compa reluctantly trudged along to the Guilds garage to retrieve IFs bike and hopefully get home at least not too damp.

As they moved along, their thoughts continued to linger on the dirty-blonde boy they've met today. They have only _just_ met him and yet he has already made quite the impression on the both of them, for better or for worse. Add to the fact that he might be a potential ally in their fight with ASIC, it kind of makes them both wonder. Will he be a valuable ally or a pain in the ass they can do without? Is he truly a good person, or is he just like any other man? Neither of them know for sure just yet. They're just going to have to find out when the time comes... that's _if_ Histoire does hire him.


	5. Prologue Part 5

**Evening/Harutos Apartment**

Sitting in his beanbag chair in silence with one leg over the other, Haruto flipped through a page on a motorcycle catalog, looking through the types and brands of each and everyone he sees, as well as their specs and prices to ensure he can get a good deal. He was thinking of just buying a cash bike out of a used dealership, but from what he's heard through the grapevine, those places have a bit of a bad rep for scamming people out of their credits, not to mention some of said places have connections to ASIC, so a definite no sell.

"Hmm..." He placed a hand on his chin as he scanned the page from top to bottom. "This one?" He glances at a fiery red sports bike with good mileage and top-speed, but cringed as the price for it was astronomical. "Or this?" He then gazes at a deep blue Cruiser that was withing price range, but he shook his head in disappointment as its spec weren't what he was looking for. "And lucky number 3 is...?" He looked to the middle of the page and spotted a solid black touring bike, and looking at the specs and the price, he was satisfied with what he saw... until he read that all it's other components are sold separately. "Not so lucky after all." Sighing, he flipped to the next page and glossed over it until something caught his eye.

"Well, hello. What do we have here?" His eyes darted to the far corners and spotted a heavy-weight dual-sport motorcycle colored a gun-metal grey with silver and blue details, good specs, great mileage, top-speed and with a sales price that is just barely pushing his budget. "Hehe, jackpot. Definitely book-marking this one." Haruto pulled a pen out of his pocket, pulled the cap off with his mouth and circled over the bike in question before putting the cap back on and stuffing it into his coat-pocket.

Satisfied with what he found, Haruto closed the catalog and placed it on the coffee table before glancing at the clock. It reads [6:19 PM]. "Is it that late already?" Feeling his stomach starting to growl, Haruto took a breath and popped his joints before standing up from his beanbag. "Welp, better make myself something to eat."

He casually strolls over to his small kitchen, opened the fridge and looked at some of the leftovers he had to see if anything piqued his interest. He casted his gaze lazily before something from the back caught his eye.

... and then his face turned a sickening green as he quickly identified what it was.

"Aw crap, that's the pizza from last month, isn't it?" He carefully reached in and grabbed the tupperware containing said pizza and brought it closer to him. "Blegh. I thought I threw this out the other day... " There were at least three slices of pepperoni in it, all covered in blotches of mold, fungus and liquid that he can't even begin to descri- wait, did it just move!?

"Whoa, better throw it out now before it starts talking." Making sure to keep it away from his face, he walks to the nearby trashcan and threw the whole container away, took out the trash bag from the bin, tied it up and went straight out of his apartment. Paying no mind to the light drizzle outside, he quickly found the dumpster and threw it in there without a moments thought and dusted his hands off before heading back inside. "Well that was just gross."

After which, he quickly replaced the trash bag and went back to the fridge, his appetite now noticeably smaller. Eventually, he spotted a small container of what looked like finely chopped and caramelized ground beef with vegetables. Taking it into his hand and inspecting it, he immediately recalled that this was a Loweean stirfry he had the other night. "Guess I can boil up some rice and have this." His choice now final, he closed the fridge with his foot, popped open the container lid just a tad and put it in the microwave for a few minutes.

While that was going, he quickly grabbed a small pot and a boil bag of instant white rice from the pantry, filled the pot halfway with water and set it on the stove on medium heat. Once the water was almost to a boil, he put the bag of rice in and put a lid on top. All that done, Haruto leaned backwards with his elbows on the counter as he relaxed for a moment.

While he was waiting, his mind wandered for a while before settling onto what he did when he got home from his quests.

As soon as he got back and put away his things, he immediately went to his room and logged into his computer to check for the email Miki mentioned. Going into his email, he sees a new email that reads [From: Planeptune Basilicom/ Subject: Application Received]. Clicking on the email with no hesitation, the email reads as follows:

 **[Dear Haruto Kiiryu,**

 **My apologies in advance for sending this on such short notice, but allow me to take a moment to thank you for your interest for the position of Assistant Oracle. I have recently received the application as recommended by Miki Makushiba, and after some consideration, I have decided that you might be what I have been looking for. I may only assume that you may have been notified either by a Basilicom employee or a member of the Guild regarding this by the time you read this, but just to be safe, I shall be personally interviewing you in my office in the Basilicom at 8 AM sharp tomorrow. You are free to wear as you wish so long as it isn't too revealing or risque, and be sure to bring two forms of ID with you to the interview. Do note that this decision is not final, so be aware if I decide to take you off the list in favor of another Candidate for the position. Please do be sure to arrive on time, otherwise I shall cancel the interview on the spot and I shall move onto another applicant.**

 **Again, I thank you for your interest to be my assistant, and I shall await for your arrival.**

 **Sincerely, Histoire. Planeptune Oracle.]**

"I'll be damned. The Oracle really did let me know personally." Haruto smiled, pleased that the Oracle did so instead of letting someone else send the message. From what he can tell from the email, the Oracle sounds like a proper and classy lady. One who is pretty strict, but nonetheless benevolent. "I can already tell I'm going to like her." He mused as he leaned into his chair with his arms folded behind his head, smiling in satisfaction.

For the past few years, Haruto has lived a simple, if pretty repetitive life-style. He would wake up, freshen up, eat breakfast, spend most of his time taking odd-jobs and Guild quests, went home, relax, maybe play a few games or surf the web, eat some dinner and head straight to bed. Again, a rather repetitive cycle, but he really didn't mind. That and his line of work meant he was bound to meet some colorful people every now and then, and maybe something interesting happens while he's on the job, or he happens to have some extra cash and gets some new games, maybe even a new console. Something to show Lady Purple Heart his support.

Even with all of that, even he had to admit that he had to get a proper job eventually. While it is OK to spice things up every now and then, at the same time one needs to have some stability in their life if they want to see tomorrow. The only reason Haruto is managing to get by in this day and age is simply because he has done jobs from the Guild for so long that he got very good at it, and even then with the CPUs gone and ASIC practically at its peak, it's starting to become much more difficult to get some good quests, much less hired as a full-time employee.

That said, he truly is thankful to Miki for recommending him. If he plays his cards right tomorrow, he won't have to worry about any money troubles as long as he does what he's suppose to.

Bonus points if the Oracle does turns out to be a beautiful woman.

"Still... it's almost been three years now... Three years since-"

 ***BEEP**BEEP*BEEP**BEEP***

Haruto snapped out of his train of thought as the microwave finished heating up his food. Pushing himself forward, he opened it up and carefully pulled out the container as it is relatively hot; the steam coming from the slight opening even more so. Carefully taking the lid off, Haruto was quickly taken by the scent of the stir-fry. Various spices and sauce blended seamlessly together as he gazes upon it.

Wasting no time, he took out a spoon from the drawer and stirred it all up so it didn't clump together and then went to check on the rice. Turning off the heat, opening the lid and carefully pinching the top of the bag so he didn't scald himself, Haruto sees the perfectly cooked rice as he let the excess water drizzle and drip out of the bag and into the pot. Shaking it to get the rest of it out, He reached into the cabinet and took out a plate, placing it right next to the stir-fry. Tearing off the top of the bag, he carefully poured the rice onto the plate, threw away the bag and used the spoon he used earlier to evenly spread out the rice. Once that is done, he takes the stir-fry and spreads it evenly on top of the rice.

Satisfied, he set it off to the side as he cleaned up the dishes he used and put them in the dishwasher. Once that was done and he washed his hands, Haruto took his dinner and went to the living room, placing the plate onto his coffee table and taking a seat in his couch as he used the remote to turn on the TV.

It was currently showing one of 5pb.s recent concerts in Leanbox as Haruto enjoyed his meal, the blue-haired idol singing and dancing with such energy and cheer to the point of it being infectious. Although he is not exactly a big fan of hers, but he had to admit that she is really good at what she does, and is pretty cute to boot.

"Heh." He laughed to himself. "Betcha anyone would do _anything_ to have her as their bride."

After he finished his dinner, cleaned up and watched a bit more TV, he checked the time as it was now almost 8. If he was going to make it to the interview tomorrow, he needed to go to bed now so he could have enough rest. He leisurely walked down the narrow hall and went inside his bedroom, making sure to close and lock it behind him.

He went to his alarm clock and set it for [5:00 AM]. "That way I have enough time to do what I need to do and get their on time... probably." He mused, double checking to make sure the alarm was on max volume so he didn't sleep through it. With how he sleeps, having it set to max volume and on top of the dresser across from his bed is a rather effective method so he doesn't end up just turning it off and going back to sleep. "And it's not like I could just press the sleep button... that never works on me." He scratched the back of his head as he slipped out of his boots and placed them back into his closet.

He then unfastened the belt on his new jacket and hung it up on the hanger where his parka used to be. He then took off the rest of his cloths save for his underwear and threw them all in the hamper, noting that it is almost half-full. ("Note to self; do your freaking laundry after you get back tomorrow.") He said to himself as he stood at the foot of his bed, leaned back and let gravity do its thing, collapsing onto it as the fatigue from today is beginning to settle in, his eyelids becoming heavier by the second.

As Haruto was starting to fall asleep, he couldn't help but wonder about the events of today, and what might be in store for him tomorrow. First he met two pretty girls, IF and Compa, as they were being harassed by Dogoos, then he got rained on just as he loaned the pink haired nurse his previous jacket, then he proceeded to give the three amigos some well deserved karma, and now thanks to Miki, there is a big chance that he might have an actual job soon. With all that in mind, he really doesn't know what to expect.

"Guess I'll find out... right guys?" Before he had fallen asleep, his gaze fell to the side-table on his right. On top of it lies a small picture frame with a single, worn-out photo inside of it, with four individuals present with smiles on their faces; three girls, one boy.

The first one was a calm and perfectly proportioned woman who looked to be in her late thirties at most, with smooth and fair skin, wavy, dirty blonde hair worn in a pony-tail and light gray eyes, wearing a light grey fur scarf around her neck, a green, short-sleeved shirt under a black and brown leather longcoat, brown leather bracelets around her wrists, a pair of black denim-jeans, brown, knee-high, leather, heeled boots and is also wearing Harutos locket around her neck with a thinner, silver chain.

The other two were girls that look to be in their early twenties, one on top of the other as the one on top hugged the other from behind. The one on top, who was apparently an F-cup, looked absent-minded, yet very happy. She had pale, light skin, long, black hair that reached to her waist, sapphire eyes, round glasses with black frames, wore a light brown dress with a red bow and sash, a deep slit in the middle with what looked like a design of a Fennec Fox on her chest area, a white, wavy sarong, black thigh-high socks and brown sandals.

The other one, who was much less stacked compared to the other two, and looked less than thrilled from being hugged from behind. Her skin was more tanned than the others and had messy, neck-length brown hair and bluish green eyes with frame-fitting glasses that were a light brown. She wore a white long-sleeved shirt with an ice-blue tie, an unbuttoned navy blue vest with light blue snowflake designs along the bottom, and what looks like a black, elastic back and shoulder braces wrapped around her right shoulder, back and abdomen respectively. She also wore two identical checkered black and white wristbands and gloves, black khaki shorts, white knee-high socks and black and white checkered sneakers.

The last one, the young boy, looked like a much younger, and surprisingly chubbier version of Haruto, who was wearing a simply grey, long-sleeved T-shirt, a pair of white and blue shorts and shoes, and wearing a rather dorky, open smile on his face with his eyes closed.

Strangely, there seems to be a hand placed on the young Harutos shoulder, indicating that there was another person in the photo. Yet there was no way of telling for sure... because that particular corner of the photo looked as if it were purposely ripped off.

* * *

 **Night/Planeptune Basilicom**

In a dark, barely lite office, high above from the rest of Planeptune, a rather young and very small girl with light skin, soft blonde hair, dull blue eyes, a form fitting light purple dress with a blue and white tie and white cuffs, long white socks and matching shoes, and what looks to be blue and purple wings sat on top of a desk reading and signing paper work with a dark blue tome with golden details to her side. This would be none other than Planeptunes Oracle, Histoire.

"*sigh*..." She wiped off a bit of sweat from her brow as she just finished signing the last bit of work for the day as she floated up to the top of a stack of papers at least several feet tall with the paper she signed in her admitably small hands and placed it at the very top. She went back down and sat with a sigh of relief. "Good. Another one has been completed..." However, she looks all around her office to be met with an innumerable stacks of paperwork filling her entire office. Some of which are much taller than the one she recently finished, others are possibly past due.

Histoire pinched the bridge of her nose and hung her head in dread. With how much of this work has been piling up over the years after the absences of Purple Heart and Purple Sister (not that it matters much for the former, given her ***ahem*** work history.), it would take her literally the rest of eternity to completely finish all of this by her lonesome, especially given her own size and other limitations. Not even mentioning the new sets that come in every morning to replace the workload she already finished. Still, if it keeps Planeptune in order and prevent it from collapsing in on itself, then to her, it is a necessary sacrifice.

"Although, I am thankful for IF for coming up with that suggestion of hers the other day. I am sure it would be beneficial in the long run... for all of us." At first, she was rather reluctant to the idea of hiring someone to assist her with her duties as Oracle, in part to the possibility of them hiring someone who proves to be either incapable of performing their duties or one who has their own hidden agendas.

However, after some heavy contemplation on the matter, she ultimately agreed on the grounds that she would personally interview each potential candidate herself. While she not one to boast, but Histoire does admit to be a very good judge of character, so she could easily spot any falsehoods in their statements, not to mention it would be easier to root out any ASIC spies that might attempt to worm their way in. While it may be wishful thinking, she can only hope she can find a valued confidant sooner rather than later.

"That reminds me, I have an interview with someone first thing tomorrow... who was it again?" Looking across her less than organized desk, Histoire spotted a small stack of papers with a note beside it saying [Resumes]. Reaching out for the stack and taking the top page, she brought it close and examined it closely, immediately recognizing it to be the one belonging to the one she will be seeing tomorrow. "Oh, right. This is the one Miss Makushiba recommended... Haruto Kiiryu." She scans the resume closely. It reads:

 **Name: Haruto Kiiryu**

 **Voiced by: Reuben Langdon (ENG)/ Koki Uchiyama(JAP)**

 **Address: 212 Zonic Apartment Complex- Segami Blvd- Planeptune- ***76**

 **Cell: ***-***-**16**

 **Email: GrayTiger18********com**

 **License Class: C & M**

 **To Prospective Employers:**

 **-My Objective is to use all of my skills and abilities to you and your companies best advantage**

 **-I am currently looking for work within the Nation of Planeptune**

 **-I am available to begin work immediately**

 **Work History**

 **-Adventurer/Mercenary: Taking and receiving quests from the Guild and occasionally hired by contractors to completing each task as efficiently as possible. Ranging from simple Fetch Quests to Monster Exterminations, to acting as an escort for any important individuals or cargo. In addition, occasionally travels to other nations to fulfill certain quests.  
**

 **Skills and Abilities**

 **\- Specialist in use of a Twinblade and Thunder magic**

 **\- Works best at repetitive tasks, self-schedules in personal life & is fairly adaptable  
**

 **\- Ability to establish & maintain effective working relationships, but can also work quite effectively solo**

 **\- Moderate knowledge and skills with a computer/ 70+ WPM touch typist**

 **Education**

 **-Graduate at Valkyria Academy of Lastation/ 100% achievement at 16 Years of age**

"Hmm... a Magic Swordsman... Self-scheduling... works well alone and with others... is willing to travel... Graduated from Valkyria Academy of all places... and would start immediately upon being hired? Interesting." Normally when applying for a position, the potential employee would request a few days, if not at least a week in advance. In this case, Histoire can only guess that this Haruto Kiiryu is one that would get straight to the point and not one to waste time. A good trait to have.

However, despite the promise that this one might have, she is trying to keep her expectations to a minimum at the very least. She has already interview a handful of individuals, and either none of them seemed rather promising, outright lied to her to try and get the position, and/or were not the kind of person she was looking for... especially the recent one she met early today.

"..." Histoire shuddered at the thought. No doubt, it was probably one of, if not, the most uncomfortable experiences of her live. The way the man just lewdly gazed at her the entire time was enough to make her skin crawl.

Shaking the thoughts out of her head, Histoire put the resume back on top of the pile and took a look at the time. It was still a while before midnight. She was debating whether she should get some rest now, or do some more work and rest later.

"... Perhaps it would be best to get some rest now. Today has been rather exhausting." Along with the aforementioned interview she had today, she had dozens of reports of accidents and technical difficulties sent her way, due in part to the storm that raged on in the afternoon. After reading some of those reports, it saddens her to see that, for some of the citizens of Planeptune, their sense of danger and self-preservation are about as non-existent as their own goddess'.

"..." Histoire hung her head disheartened as she is reminded of Planeptunes missing CPU and CPU Candidate. Indeed, it had been nearly 3 years since they departed to the Gameindustri Graveyard alongside the other CPUs, and they have yet to return. Since then, with the assistance of the other Oracles, as well as IF and Compa, two very good friends of Planeptunes CPU, Histoire had been working non-stop to gather shares and devise a plan to rescue them and the others from ASICs clutches. All the while she was plague with worry and guilt, wondering whether or not they are alive and well.

Before her mind could go any deeper, Histoire slapped both of her cheeks to snap herself out of it. She had an important day tomorrow, and she's going to need the rest. No doubt she wouldn't get any sleep should she continue on that train of thought.

Sitting back on top of her tome, Histoire flew away from her desk and made her way to the door leading to her bedroom, all the while carefully maneuvering around the multiple towers of unfinished and likely overdue paperwork. As she approached it, the door slid open automatically, allowing her to enter as the lights turned on in the room.

Histoires bed chambers consisted of soft purple carpeting, the walls and ceiling were an ivory white, with several finely crafted wooden bookcases covering them, a small glass chandelier hanging above, and a grand queen-sized canopy bed with white sheets, a purple cover with light blue and white details, and soft, see-through purple curtains around the bed, all this alongside wide windows to the far end, giving the Oracle an excellent view of the land of Purple Progress below.

With a firm, soft tone, she said "Lights off.", causing the lights to turn off, the room darkened before lighting up ever so slightly with moonlight.

Placing her tome on a nearby side table, she changed herself out from her normal attire to a lilac purple gown that exposed her shoulders, reached to her thighs, and had over-sized sleeves. It has white frills, purple details and a purple bow at the chest area. Histoire also did not have her usual headgear and she had let her hair down, letting it fall past her shoulders.

With a soft yawn, she flew over to her admittedly large bed, slipped under the covers and rested her head on one of the abundantly large pillows and closed her eyes. As she began to fall into slumber, her mind began lingering on a nostalgic image of two familiar girls; one with short, messy hair with her faces encrusted with pudding, and the other with longer hair tinkering on a robot of some kind, both of them having bright and cheerful smiles on their faces.

Histoire shed a single tear as her breath became shallow, and as she fell asleep, she uttered "Neptune... Nepgear... Please be safe."

 **Prologue End**


	6. Notice & Irma

**AN:** **Hello. Twilightiger here. I'm just putting this up to let you all know that I am still active, and I really must apologize for the long wait for the next chapter. Long story short, not only have I been dealing with a surprisingly stubborn case of writers block, but lets just say thinks have been a little out of wack in the past couple of weeks IRL. However, things have been straightened out and hopefully once I get fully back into the swing of things, the next chapter will be out soon. Though just so I don't make yet another promise I can't keep *** ** _Looks at Fairy Fencer Neptunia*_** **, I'm not going to give you all an estimate and just say it will come out whenever.**

 **Now, before I cap this off, I like to take a moment of your time and my own, and let us all send our wishes, prays and good luck to all of those who are currently in Florida and wherever else that is in the path of Hurricane Irma, and hope that they all make it out unharmed. Also, Special shoutout to fellow writer "TheCyver", who had just told me via PM that he was going to be in the middle of that hellstorm. Dude, if you're reading this, like I said in PM, please stay safe out there, and if things get too hectic, seek shelter ASAP. We'll all be praying for your safety. Here's to you and you're family.**

 **Well, that's all I got. Twilightiger, signing out.**


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